Speaking at the association’s annual dinner, Amanda Stevens, President of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers has called for an end to high pressure tactics used by insurance companies against accident victims. These tactics often result in injured people accepting compensation that is far below what they could expect if they used an independent solicitor.
Ms Stevens said last week that the watchdog of the insurance industry, the Financial Services Authority was “turning a blind eye” to many cases, such as those of a woman who was offered a £1,000 payment immediately after being involved in an accident if she agreed to settle her claim without seeking independent legal advice. Although the offer was increased to £1,700 after she declined, the woman in question used Ms Steven’s own law firm who managed to increase the amount recovered in her claim to over £10,000 as well as recovering her legal costs.
As a firm of solicitors who have built our reputation on successfully dealing with thousands of personal injury claims, Camps are approached year after year by people seeking independent legal advice following an accident. In many cases these accident victims have already been contacted by representatives of an insurance company offering them cash sums if they agree not to take legal action. Whilst these cash sums may seem large, they often do not cover all the costs that someone might incur after an accident, such as lost earnings, medical treatments and vehicle repairs.
If they accept these cash offers, accident victims will often be made to sign waivers designed to prevent them from later making a compensation claim. This means that if in the months and years following an accident they might find that if they need medical treatment or care, they will have to pay out of their own pockets for it. A properly constructed compensation claim would include provision for the cost of future medical care, as well as any modifications that might need to be done to your home. These could include things like the installation of an access ramp if your accident has left you wheelchair-bound.
With Camps Solicitors acting on your behalf, it is a different story. We work with you, monitoring your recovery from any injuries you might have suffered, and if necessary sending you for medical treatment to aid your recovery. Our lawyers will advise you on any offers made by insurance companies, and we will take care of all communications, getting the insurers off your back, and allowing you to get on with your life.
We are used to dealing with insurance companies on behalf of our clients, and we will work hard to ensure any compensation you receive accurately reflects the seriousness of the injuries you suffered, and the impact they have had on your life.
If you have been pressured by another motorist’s insurance company to accept a cash offer after being injured in a road traffic accident, you need independent legal advice from Camps Solicitors.
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