Whiplash is the most common injury in road traffic accidents and if you’ve suffered a whiplash injury in an accident that wasn’t your fault then you could be legally entitled to compensation for your pain and inconvenience.
Our comprehensive guide below will tell you how to start your claim.
Whiplash Compensation – A Comprehensive Guide
Bott and Co deal with thousands of whiplash compensation claims where damage has been caused to the soft tissue in the neck resulting in pain to the neck, shoulders, back and even to the legs and arms in more severe cases. We are experts in settling these types of personal injury claims and our lawyers are highly skilled in recovering the best possible payouts for whiplash and other injuries.
We are committed to providing access to justice for injured people so we will take on claims with a no-win no-fee guarantee for any genuine injury suffered in an accident that was not your fault.
There are many questions around claiming compensation. This guide is to help inform you of your rights and the options you have to claim whiplash. Click on one of the sections below to start.
What is Whiplash
Whiplash injuries can take several days to develop following an accident so it’s important you monitor your health over this time and seek medical advice such as visiting your GP if you suffer any of the typical whiplash symptoms:
- Neck pain.
- Back pain.
- Dizziness.
- Headaches.
- Difficulty sleeping.
- Arm or leg pain/ discomfort.
Whiplash occurs when the neck accelerates and decelerates very quickly, snapping back like a whip. This can happen in a forward and back motion for example if someone has hit your car from behind, but also if the collision is from the side and you have a side to side movement of the neck.
If the pain or whiplash symptoms last a few days and can be treated with painkillers then it’s unlikely you will have a serious enough injury to make a compensation claim through a law firm. However, if any of the symptoms last for longer than a week or two then you should contact us to determine if we can help you recover your compensation from the third party.
How Do I Make a Whiplash Claim?
Fortunately making a whiplash claim using Bott and Co is incredibly simple. We do all the hard work and handle the legal paperwork while keeping you up to date with the progress every step of the way.
Once you’ve given us a call or completed an online claim form, we will go through the details of your particular case so you will need to explain how the accident happened and what your injuries are. Photos and medical evidence is always helpful when we present your claim to the third party.
Our solicitors will work on your claim, using your evidence and medical reports to build the best possible case for compensation to the other side. We will use all our experience and industry knowledge to negotiate the maximum compensation for you.
Once we’ve received an offer from the third party insurers we’ll talk to you about whether or not you should accept or if we should continue the claim. Some people prefer to take an earlier offer and others want to fight on.
Once an offer has been accepted and we’ve received the money from the insurers, we’ll send you a cheque immediately for the compensation amount and because we offer a no-win no-fee guarantee, on the very rare occasion we don’t win your case then you have no financial risk whatsoever.
How Long To Make A Whiplash Claim?
There aren’t many law firms that can settle cases as quickly as Bott and Co while still recovering the maximum possible in compensation. Our lawyers are among the very best in the industry and we were recently graded 4th in the UK for lawyer productivity and top of all the specialist personal injury firms.
We have settled whiplash claims within a few weeks but some more complex cases can take several months. We aim to get you the most money in the shortest time as we know it’s important to help you on the road to recovery. Our specialist legal team will be able to give you an indication of how long your whiplash claim will take when you go through the specific details of your case with them.
How Much Can I Claim?
It’s always worth speaking to one of our qualified solicitors as you could be entitled to thousands of pounds in damages. The average whiplash injury can be assigned a figure of around £1000-£2000 but more serious injuries with long term implications can be settled for tens of thousands of pounds.
We represented one client whose car was struck by a combine harvester whilst he was stationary at a set of traffic lights. He suffered soft tissue injuries to the neck (whiplash), and the onset of angina caused by the stress of the accident. He was left with pain and discomfort for over a year. Our legal team negotiated 51% more than the first insurer offer and eventually settled for £5,000 in damages.
Whiplash Claim Amounts
| Injury | Min Amount | Max Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Severe injury where pain and suffering will continue indefinitely | £7,750 | £13,750 |
| Moderate injuries (where symptoms persist for more than two years and the future prognosis is uncertain) | £4,250 | £7,750 |
| Minor injury with recovery within two years | £2,500 | £4,250 |
| Minor injuries with recovery within one year | £750 | £2,500 |
Of course, these amounts can just be the tip of the iceberg as you will also be able to claim for any out of pocket expenses and any adjustments to your lifestyle required as a result of the injury.
For further information on how much you may be able to claim for, try our interactive whiplash calculator or read our comprehensive how to claim whiplash guide
Why Use a Law Firm?
It is advisable to use a law firm when making your claim otherwise you’ll be up against a multi-million or even multi-billion pound international insurance company on your own with no qualified legal representation. We see many cases where injured people are persuaded to settle for many times less than their claim is really worth because they haven’t taken legal advice.
So contact us today if you want to know more about making a claim. There is no obligation to claim with us and one of our lawyers will speak to you for free about your whiplash injury, or any other personal injury you’ve suffered.