How accident claims can make your life easier
Last year, almost 250,000 people ended up A&E wards across the country as a result of an accident. Factor in the greater numbers of people for whom the effects of accidents take grip more slowly and you have a picture of the how susceptible we all are to accidents, and how many of us stand to have our lives changed.
Those making accident claims have been painted in a sinister light in some corners, but the truth is that the rise of a compensation playing field that gives the needy greater access to assistance has been more of a force for good than bad.
So if you have had an accident and you are dealing with injury, disability or trauma, how would a claim make your life easier?
They are good for everyone
The first thing to say is that accident claims have made for a safer world for everyone. People may complain about “health and safety culture” but the truth is that greater accessibility to compensation claims has created a climate of greater accountability.
With accountability comes a responsibility to reduce accidents, and educate people to risk more effectively. A more educated populace and a means of punishing irresponsible businesses and individuals can only be good news.
You won’t be out of pocket
The biggest change in accident claims in the UK for a generation was the introduction of an effective no win no fee system. Beforehand, claimants had to be prepared to face significant legal costs in the event that their claim was unsuccessful, meaning those with little money to spare – in other words, some of those that need compensation the most – would often suffer in silence.
No win no fee changed, also known as conditional fee arrangements (CFAs) changed all that. At the time that CFAs were introduced to all civil cases in 1998, cabinet minister Geoff Hoon said: “The question of whether one gets one’s case to court will no longer depend on whether one can afford it, but on whether one’s case is strong.”
Access to treatment and financial aid
The single biggest way that accident claims can improve your life is in winning you much-needed compensation.
What your eventual award may be depends, obviously, on the extent of your injuries and its impact on your life. While many people will be temporarily incapacitated by whiplash as a result of a car accident, and receive a small, three-figure, sum, others can be left facing a life of serious disability, and have their means of earning a living robbed from them.
Without accident claims their circumstances would be dire, but the apparatus which enables to pursue compensation – and not worry about the financial implications of an unsuccessful claim – provides a vital safety net.