When you are in the situation of making a personal injury claim there is information the accident helpline will have to ask you for, but there are also some things that a helpline for accidents shouldn’t ask you.
They should not ask for any money
Since April 2000, the no win no fee agreement has been in place for personal injury claims. Although there were a few grey areas till 2005, they have been ironed out and now it is what it was intended to be – a way of making personal injury claims available to everyone. No funds are needed to start the claim, and no funds are needed if the claim is lost.
They should not ask awkward questions
When you are dealing with large organisations like insurance companies, their forms are complex and their questions awkward. Generally, they are worded in such a way that you could give 10 different answers and still not be certain you have got it right. The helpline for accidents lawyers will understand these forms and questions and know how the claim has to be presented to give the most chance of success.
They should not ask you to lie
A good accident helpline should not, and will not ask you to lie. Things like exaggerating your injuries are totally unnecessary measures when the lawyer is competent enough to get you the maximum compensation without resorting to such tactics.
They should not ask you to complete any forms
When you call a helpline for accidents, the friendly and helpful advisors take all the details of your accident, injuries and circumstances in feed them into the computer system. When you have give them all the information they need, the computer provides a pre printed form with all your answers on. This just has to be sent to you for checking and signature, job done – you do not have to worry about any forms.
They will not ask you to deal with the other party
They would rather all dealings with the other party were done through them, so they will not ask you to deal with them. Particularly the large organisations, they are best left to the lawyers, as they will put on a show of trying to help you when really they are gathering evidence against you.
What they should be asking
There are lots of things they should be asking you, like all the details about the accident you have been involved in. They will want to know what injuries you have sustained and how severe they are. Who is the guilty party they have to make the claim against?
They will be interested in what impact the accident has had on your life, what extra expenses you have incurred, and have you lost any income because of time off work. All these items have to be accounted for when they are making your personal injury compensation claim.
