Last year, I had a motorcycle accident that was completely the other guys fault
(was driving down a road when a muppet in a landy decided to pull out of a garage in front of me)
The bike was written off and insurance took care of sorting out a hire bike until mine was replaced... the other parties insurance paid up without hassle.. no probs there.
However, as part of my fully comp insurance, I was "provided" with personal injury cover.
For want of a better word, these people are leaches in my oppinion.
From the minute they were informed of my accident, my "personal" injury solicitor was working on my case.
In the accident I had broken my ankle and a few ribs, with a bit of bruising here and there. I was back at work after two days..
However, they sent me to their "private doctor" who recommended I took a minimum of 2 months of work to recover, as well as recommending I see a physcologist to help me get over the "trauma" of the accident (of which I have none.. I always believe that if the accident isn't your fault (or at least MOSTLY your fault), then it won't stop me doing what I was doing again..)
All this was BS and I knew it and told my "personal" solicitor that I didn't want to persue the case.
closed Issue?
nope.
"on my behalf", they contacted the other parties insurance company and told them the "details" of my injuries and how much it would cost then if we took the issue to court.
So, the other party got in touch with me (we had been on good terms about it) and told me their insurance company had made an offer for the injury compensation to my insurance, but he wanted to know why I was now pushing for this after I'd told him I wasn't going to.
Furious, I contacted my insurance and asked what they were playing at, but was told this was just "standard" practice and that they didn't need my instruction to inform the other company of the cost of the injury claim, should it be made.
I then got a letter telling me that if I would go ahead (and that they advised me to do so) I would be awarded such-and-such (nearly as much as I was getting for my bike!) and all it would involve me doing was signing the enclosed contract and visiting their doctor once every six months for a checkup...
I just thing these "injury lawyers" are only making everyone's insurance costs rise and rise, without being any good for the people who genuinly get badly injured.
Don't get me wrong, if you CAN'T work, and aren't covered by sick pay etc, then yeah.. some compensation should be awarded, but 5 grand for a broken ankle is frankly stupid.
at the time, the amount offered was just shy of two months worth of take-home pay for me, but as I was able to return to work the next day, it seemed like a stupidly large amount!
As for those "people" who have a "trip or fall" anywhere and then sue people for it... that's just stupid imo.
granted, there are going to be valid occasions where sueing for compensation is justified, but tripping over a curb, or slipping on a floor are not what I class as "valid" and only serve to increase peoples / businesses insurance costs, or raise the council taxes (when the council is at fault).
so.. does anyone else think these "vultures" should quit trying to turn the UK into a "sueing society", much like the states is now?
Or do you totally disagree? Do you think they SHOULD be here and are doing a good job?
I'm interested to see what the majority think about this...
(was driving down a road when a muppet in a landy decided to pull out of a garage in front of me)
The bike was written off and insurance took care of sorting out a hire bike until mine was replaced... the other parties insurance paid up without hassle.. no probs there.
However, as part of my fully comp insurance, I was "provided" with personal injury cover.
For want of a better word, these people are leaches in my oppinion.
From the minute they were informed of my accident, my "personal" injury solicitor was working on my case.
In the accident I had broken my ankle and a few ribs, with a bit of bruising here and there. I was back at work after two days..
However, they sent me to their "private doctor" who recommended I took a minimum of 2 months of work to recover, as well as recommending I see a physcologist to help me get over the "trauma" of the accident (of which I have none.. I always believe that if the accident isn't your fault (or at least MOSTLY your fault), then it won't stop me doing what I was doing again..)
All this was BS and I knew it and told my "personal" solicitor that I didn't want to persue the case.
closed Issue?
nope.
"on my behalf", they contacted the other parties insurance company and told them the "details" of my injuries and how much it would cost then if we took the issue to court.
So, the other party got in touch with me (we had been on good terms about it) and told me their insurance company had made an offer for the injury compensation to my insurance, but he wanted to know why I was now pushing for this after I'd told him I wasn't going to.
Furious, I contacted my insurance and asked what they were playing at, but was told this was just "standard" practice and that they didn't need my instruction to inform the other company of the cost of the injury claim, should it be made.
I then got a letter telling me that if I would go ahead (and that they advised me to do so) I would be awarded such-and-such (nearly as much as I was getting for my bike!) and all it would involve me doing was signing the enclosed contract and visiting their doctor once every six months for a checkup...
I just thing these "injury lawyers" are only making everyone's insurance costs rise and rise, without being any good for the people who genuinly get badly injured.
Don't get me wrong, if you CAN'T work, and aren't covered by sick pay etc, then yeah.. some compensation should be awarded, but 5 grand for a broken ankle is frankly stupid.
at the time, the amount offered was just shy of two months worth of take-home pay for me, but as I was able to return to work the next day, it seemed like a stupidly large amount!
As for those "people" who have a "trip or fall" anywhere and then sue people for it... that's just stupid imo.
granted, there are going to be valid occasions where sueing for compensation is justified, but tripping over a curb, or slipping on a floor are not what I class as "valid" and only serve to increase peoples / businesses insurance costs, or raise the council taxes (when the council is at fault).
so.. does anyone else think these "vultures" should quit trying to turn the UK into a "sueing society", much like the states is now?
Or do you totally disagree? Do you think they SHOULD be here and are doing a good job?
I'm interested to see what the majority think about this...
