Ive never done this before but me and a mate got hit from behind a couple of months ago, we both suffered whiplash and I got sent to Hospital and have numerous trips to the doctor after that.

The insurance company have posted me a letter with a settlement offer this morning, before i receive it i want to know the going rate i should accept for this injury?

Any advice?

 

I have heard of anything from 3k to 15k...

be interested to know how you get on...

P.

 

depends, my bird got paid about 2k a couple of years back, actually I think it was probably more like 3 years ago now. her mam got more like 3k for hers but she spent more time blaggin the docs saying it was worse than it was

so Id want about 2k if I had whiplash but I suppose it depends how bad the injures actually are, my misses was told by a doc that her back will hurt later on in life and for that she could have really declined her 2k offer and probably strech the insurance to alot more cash but she was skint and happy to just recieve 2k silly bint.

 

just in time for money too, just been outside to move my car, the kids set the alarm off playing football, started it up and heard a very lound grinding noise so i turned it off quickly but i think the cam belt snapped

im now waiting for my neighbour to come home, hes a mechanic

 

sorted, it was the pump that drives the cam belt, just ordered one

anyway, how much can i expect and whats the minimum before i refuse it?

 

Make sure you keep some of the money to pay for your increased car insurance next year...

 

Mr Manchester,

I would get hold of your records from your doctors and go to see a solicitor. The same thing happened to my sister and she was initially offered £600 She refused loads of offers until she finally accepted £3500! It took her 3 years though! (she thinks it took her this long cos her solicitor was crap)

Hope this helps

Claire



[Edited by Scooby_Loo - 10/16/2003 7:18:50 PM]

 

I believe that £3k is the average but the time taken can vary greatly

 

well the company seem very on the ball, the accident happened less that 2 months ago and i did threaten them with solicitors at the time but they wanted to deal with me direct and get it over with asap.

we shall see what arrives in the letter, i was anything over 1000 pounds would be suffice?

 

Up to you, but I'd reject their first offer.

It's like buying a car, you put in an offer way below asking and work up.

 

Being an area of law I work in (personal injury), there are two things to consider.

Firstly, a whiplash is worth between £1250 - £7,500 depending on the severity. Now if you are being made an offer after only a couple of months, the chances are they are seriously trying to short change you.

Most personal injury cases of this nature usually take a minimum of between 12 - 18 months to settle simply because if the case is settled within 2 - 3 months the injuries will not have settled down properly and the insurance companies know that, but if they can make an offer quickly and settle, they know that the matter will be closed once settlement has beeen made and you will have no further redress.

An independant medical examination will be required to determine the seriousness of the injury as well as a long term prognosis, and the settlement is made not only on the actuall injury itself but also on the pain, suffering and inconvenience, and you can also claim for all your out of pocket expenses.

The value of injuries is determined by a book published by the Judicial Services Review Board and is used by the likes of ourselves (solicitors) insurers and the courts in determining the value of a claim.