5 Things To Avoid When Making An Accident Claim
- Exaggerating your injuries or lying
It goes without saying that making an accident claim that’s fraudulent can have serious ramifications. Not only can your claim be denied but you could incur punitive damages and possibly face criminal charges. It simply isn’t worth it and thankfully, solicitors and insurers are getting better are spotting these cases before they develop. So when you make a claim, always be truthful about how your accident happened and the extent of your injuries. If you are truthful, rest assured that your claim will be processed as it should be.
- Admitting total or partial liability
It’s important to remember that while you should be truthful about how your accident happened, what really happened in the build up to your accident may not be clear to you and many people actually experience confusion and a sense of guilt in the aftermath of their accident. Any good solicitor such as those at Accident claim will tell you this, but you should never admit liability for your accident before or during the accident claims process. Your accident will be thoroughly investigated by your solicitor and from the evidence collected, liability will be ascertained. This is how the claims process works.
- Admissions against interest
Admissions against interest are statements you make immediately after your accident which claim that you weren’t all too badly injured in your accident or you were partly to blame for it happening. For example, you might say “I was just talking to the passenger” or “I just looked at the satellite navigation screen for a few seconds before I hit you”. It’s important that you do not incriminate yourself at this stage. Anything you do say can be used against you by the other side. By avoiding such statements, you won’t have to explain your way out of them when it comes to making an accident claim.
- Settling outside of the claims process
Sometimes, the defendant to a claim may try to offer you money to essentially silence you and stop the claims process from going forward. While this may seem tempting at a time when you may be out of pocket, don’t cave in. The settlement the defendant offers you will likely be thousands of pounds less than you are legally entitled to. Furthermore, any deal you agree to will not have the backing of a lawyer. So it won’t be protected, unless it is organised and managed between your respective lawyers.
- Taking things for granted
Lastly, a word of advice. While if you have been injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault you are legally entitled to make a claim for compensation, there is absolutely no guarantee that your claim will be successful. A good solicitor will work hard to win your case, but sometimes cases take a turn for the worse and that’s perfectly normal. So take care of your finances while you are recovering from your injury and live frugally if you must. The pay-out you are expecting is not guaranteed – so always stay realistic.
For more information visit here https://www.accidentadvicehelpline.co.uk/pages/best-accident-claim-company/
