Claims arising from Road Traffic Accidents

Road accidents are extremely common and the injuries suffered by those involved can vary from minor in nature to severe or even fatal. Below you will find more information about the most common types of road accidents, together with information about how you can begin a personal injury compensation claim.

If you cannot find the information you need, please telephone us on 0115 9100200 for free legal advice from one of our personal injury team.

Information about road traffic accidents

If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a road traffic accident which was not your fault, then you may be entitled to make a personal injury compensation claim.

If you are a pedestrian, a motor cyclist, a pedal cyclist, a driver, or a passenger your personal injury compensation claim would be against the insurer of the driver responsible for your injuries. If the driver was not insured your claim would be dealt with by the Motor Insurers' Bureau.

The most common type of injury resulting from a road accident is whiplash to the neck, back and shoulder. However a wide range of injuries can be suffered from minor soft tissue injuries such as bruising, strains and sprains to more serious injuries such as broken bones, scarring and head injuries.

How Can We Help?

Our team of fully qualified personal injury lawyers is experienced in handling all level of claims from modest to severe injuries. We deal with all cases efficiently and obtain maximum compensation for all our clients. We have recovered millions of pounds for our clients.

Claiming Personal Injury Compensation

With all personal injury compensation claims you need to prove that another person was responsible for the injuries that you sustained. In a road traffic accident this is usually the driver of the vehicle you were traveling in, or the driver who collided with you.

What can I Claim For?

You can claim compensation for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries and the effect of those on your lifestyle.

You can also claim for your financial losses arising from the accident, such as loss of earnings, damaged property as well as medical and traveling expenses. If someone else, such as a friend or family member, has had to look after you, it may be possible to obtain compensation for their time too.

Immediate steps to be taken after a road accident

You should always stop at the scene if you think that your accident has caused injuries to people or damage to vehicles or property, for example, traffic signs. Call 999 immediately if any of the people involved are in urgent need of medical attention or a party leaves the scene without exchanging details. You should consider whether or not there are any witnesses and try to get the names, addresses and vehicle registrations of any witnesses to hand. All the parties involved in the accident must exchange details. Try to obtain the name, address, telephone number, vehicle registration, insurance company and policy number of the drivers involved. It would be useful to obtain proof of the other person's ID if possible. You may wish to offer proof of your ID as a gesture of goodwill.

Try to make a sketch plan at the scene of the accident and remember to include as many details as you can. Make notes of street names, vehicle locations and directions of travel. Many people may carry a camera in their car. Alternatively many mobile phones now have cameras and it is worthwhile taking photographs of the accident scene if at all possible.

How to begin a personal injury compensation claim following a road accident

If you or anyone you know has suffered an injury as a result of a road accident, call us on 0115 9100200 for free legal advice from a member of our personal injury team. There are strict time limits which apply to injury claims. You usually have three years from the date of the accident to make a claim for compensation, however there are a few exceptions to this rule. For example, if a child was injured at the time of the accident you normally have until the age of twenty-one.

Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB)

Road accidents involving untraced or uninsured drivers

If you have been injured or your motor vehicle has been damaged by an uninsured or untraced driver, you may still be able to make a claim for compensation through the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB). The MIB is a body set up to compensate victims who have had a road accident with an uninsured or untraced driver. It is essential for your claim to be pursued through the MIB that you have reported the matter to the police immediately after the accident. Please contact a member of our personal injury team on 0115 9100200 to obtain further advice.

For further information on the services we are able to provide please contact us on 0115 9 100 200 and ask to speak to one of the Departmental Directors, Peter Seymour, Gary Chadwick or Tom Payne.