Road Traffic Accident Personal Injury Claims Advice

Get as Much Evidence as Possible

While this may not be possible, depending on the severity of the accident and the injuries you’ve sustained, it’s important to collect as much evidence at the scene as you can. This can include the other driver’s vehicle registration number, insurance and contact details, photos of the location at the time of the accident and photos of damage to any vehicles that were involved in the accident.

Report Your Accident to the Police

A police report is a critical piece of information, as this provides a further record of the circumstances of the accident, and when and where it took place.

Take Photos of Your Injuries

Some of the injuries you sustain in a road traffic accident, such as bruises, can heal very quickly, so it’s worth taking photos as soon as you can, so you have a permanent record of what your condition was immediately after the accident.

Keep Documents and Receipts

Picking up the pieces after a road traffic accident can be costly, with expenses ranging from taxi fares to hospital and medical appointments to paying for modifications to your home if you’ve been left with a disability.

You may also be experiencing a significant loss of income, as your injuries have left you unable to work. To boost your chances of getting a suitable amount in compensation, you should keep track of the costs and expenses you’re incurring, so your Solicitor or Lawyer can factor this into the valuation of your claim.

Log Details of Care Provided by Friends and Family

Your injuries may have left you unable to perform basic tasks at home, such as cleaning, cooking meals, doing the washing up and getting dressed, and relying on friends and relatives to do this for you. Often, this can be over and above the level of care that would normally be given in the course of normal family life, so this care and support can be included in your claim.

So you should keep a detailed record of what type of care you’ve been given by friends and relatives and how long this went on for.

Don’t Immediately Accept a Compensation Offer

You might be tempted to settle your claim quickly by not going through a Road Traffic Accident Solicitor and dealing directly with the other driver’s insurer instead. However, you’re unlikely to receive the full amount of compensation you’re entitled to.

It’s in the insurer’s interests to settle the claim for a relatively low sum, whereas a specialist Solicitor will thoroughly investigate the full impact of the accident on your life. As a result, they’ll calculate a settlement that genuinely meets all of your needs.

Once you’ve accepted an offer of compensation, you can’t go back and claim more if your injuries become worse in the future. So if you find you’ve under settled because you didn’t have a Solicitor representing you, there’s nothing you can do about it later on.