The UK personal injury market has grown significantly over the last few years following a trend from the USA. Unfortunately there have been cases of malpractice and fraudulent claims within the market which have often overshadowed your basic right. It is enshrined in law that you are entitled to claim for any personal injury suffered as a consequence of actions taken or not taken by a third party. That is simple and straight forward.
Why You Should Follow Through With Your Personal Injury Claim
We have all read about various personal injury scams such as motoring accidents and the like. The police know about them, they often have suspicions about potentially fraudulent claims but sometimes it is difficult to prove beyond reasonable doubt. It is often down to the insurance companies to dig deeper, check claims patterns and try to separate potentially fraudulent claims from perfectly valid claims.
Do not forget, those with perfectly valid personal injury claims have nothing to hide, there is nothing lurking under the surface and if you think you have a valid claim then you should pursue it. At the end of the day any injury which impacts your personal or working life is something you cannot afford to ignore both for yourself and your family.
Are You Being Negligent Not Following Through With Your Claim?
It may seem rather strange but if you step back and take a look at any personal injury claim from a distance, whether you are involved or not, what are the consequences of not pursuing a claim? The simple fact is that by not pursuing a claim it is highly likely that somebody else will suffer the same injury in the future. While some might suggest that any financial settlement would “soften the blow” it is not necessarily all about the money.
If you were to experience a personal injury at work and nothing was done about this, what is to say that the next accident might not be more serious? There is a growing consensus that if you do experience a personal injury which is not your fault then it could be seen as negligent not to follow through with a claim to protect those in the future. Opponents of the personal injury market would suggest that this is an excuse but if you do look at it from a distance, in the cold light of day, surely it is something worth thinking about.
Professional Representation
In order to obtain the best possible settlement you need to put in place professional representation with experience. Statistics show that many valid personal injury claims will be settled out of court in order to save legal fees and to ensure that the third party suffers no damage to their reputation (at least in public). Those personal injury claims which reach the courts are just the tip of the iceberg and putting in place professional representation to fight your case can often result in a speedy settlement. At the end of the day, nobody wants to be involved in a court case which can drag on for weeks when very often there is an opportunity to settle quickly out of court.
The very fact that an initial claim has been lodged will ensure that there is evidence of a possible issue with the third party whether this is your employer or somebody else. As a by-product this very often puts pressure on the third parties to ensure that a similar situation does not arise in the future. At the end of the day there are very few companies, corporate bodies or individuals, who would knowingly put individuals at risk. There is also the money side of this scenario and the fact that further problems in the future could result in hefty personal injury claim payments.
The Law Is There For A Reason
Many people lose sight of the fact that there are numerous laws and regulations protecting individuals from personal injury due to the negligence of third parties. The mass media tends to focus on fraudulent personal injury applications to the detriment of those pursuing valid claims. This has prompted the authorities to introduce both formal and informal guidance to avoid the ever increasing number of fraudulent personal injury claims. However, this does not undermine the basic fact of law and the protection afforded to individuals.
Third parties have an obligation to put in place safety measures which will protect customers, employees and others they come into contact with. Indeed this obligation is extended to individuals who are expected to act in a manner which is both legal and safe. We can only estimate the number of individuals with perfectly valid personal injury claims who do not come forward for fear of being interrogated and challenged by the legal profession.
Conclusion
While fraudulent personal injury applications, scams and the ever-growing cost to areas such as insurance tend to grab the headlines, let us not forget the facts. There are personal injury laws in place to protect individuals and if you are involved in such an incident you should pursue your claim as vigorously as possible. It may be a stretch too far to suggest that those suffering personal injury due to the negligence of a third party also have an obligation to those found in similar situations in the future, but it is worth thinking about.