From 1 October 2018, assuming the government’s proposed personal injury reforms pass through Parliament, the small claims limit for personal injury claims will be £2,000 or £5,000 for whiplash claims.
If you have been involved in any kind of accident such as a road traffic accident, a trip or slip in a pubic place, a trip or slip on property you were a visitor to or had an accident at work, the new rules on compensation may make it more difficult for you to find a specialist personal injury solicitor to accept your claim.
If you have had an accident in the last two years and have not yet submitted a claim for personal injury compensation, call MJV & Co Solicitors today on 1253 858 231 or e-mail info@mjvlaw.co.uk to begin your personal injury claim today.
by MJV&Co
When the government “consulted” on reforms to whiplash claims, the only people they really listened to were insurance companies.
The number of claims is already on the way down. The last round of reforms have not yet properly taken effect and yet, rather than monitor their success, they have sought to significantly reduce the level of compensation to be paid for whiplash claims and, essentially, eliminate legal costs from the claims altogether.
Insurers have a vested interest in these claims being stamped out. They have already backtracked on the amount of saving that can be expected for the average motorist and we can safely assume there will be no genuine saving when the reforms are finally implemented.
Anyone who has suffered from whiplash following a road traffic accident will know that it has a serious and detrimental effect on your life. You have reduced sleep and the sleep that you do get is of an inferior quality. It affects your work, your social life and your general well being, which is why the Courts and the Judicial Studies Board have set compensation at the appropriate levels for decades.
A Claimant who suffered a 12 month whiplash injury, using the current scale, would receive up to £3,630 in general damages (personal injury compensation). Following the forthcoming whiplash reforms, the same injured party would receive £1,190.
During the last wave of reforms to the industry, legal costs were reduced and Claimants now normally pay 25% of their personal injury compensation to their solicitor who receives a small amount (comparatively to previous levels anyway) from the insurer of the at fault vehicle. From October 2018, they will receive nothing from the insurer and so costs will be limited to 25% of the compensation received. This will inevitably lead to the closure of dozens of specialist personal injury firms and or claims being run by unqualified staff at Claims Management Companies as happens now with claims for mis-sold PPI.
All we at MJV & Co can hope for is that the government sees sense and retreats from its position on whiplash and personally reforms to ensure that injured members of the public are adequately compensated for the pain and suffering they endure through no fault of their own. Surely this is better for the greater good than increased profits for insurers.
by MJV&Co
Being involved in a road traffic accident can be very stressful and upsetting, but when you are struck by a van as a cyclist only for the driver to flee the scene it can have a terrible effect on the victim.
We acted for Miss B who was cycling on a road with parked cars on either side. She proceeded very carefully as there was a large van coming, but as the van passed her the driver came too close and the mirror of the van collided with her causing her to fall from her bicycle and suffer injuries including a fractured toe.
The driver failed to stop and Miss B was concerned that she would be denied justice, but at MJV & Co we have many years of experience in handling claims against the Motor Insurers Bureau who deal with such claims under their uninsured drivers’ scheme. The scheme has a variety of rules and requirements that, if breached, entitle the MIB to reject them and deny Claimants compensation.
We were able to recover personal injury compensation and all her loses such as lost earnings and taxi fares while she was unable to ride her bicycle.
If you r someone you know has been injured in a road traffic accident, especially when the driver and their vehicle is untraced, have MJV & Co on your side. Call us today on 01253 858 231 or e-mail info@mjvlaw.co.uk
