subject: Have You Got Whiplash From A Car Accident? [print this page] One of the most upsetting things after a road traffic accident is the effect any personal injuries may have on your life, especially if the accident was of no fault of your own. If you are suffering from one of the most common injuries, whiplash, then making a whiplash compensation claim may help in allowing you the monetary relief you need to recover fully without worrying about paying the bills.
No win no fee is the policy which guarantees the claimant receives 100% of their compensation and the personal injury specialists recoup their costs as a separate claim from the defendants insurance. You should not just accept the first cold call made to you following an accident, as a lot of claims companies-middle men contact you and take a chunk of commission along the way. It is important to find a personal injury firms that will deal with your claim start to finish and get the best whiplash compensation claim for you accident.
Sadly no matter how good a driver you are road traffic accidents do happen. But do you know what to do if you are involved in an accident. Do you know if you should call the police or not. If you have never had a crash how are you expected to know what to do, you have just been though and ordeal and thinking straight is not always easy. Following an accident there are number of things to think about to ensure any claim for compensation can go as smoothly as possible. The main thing to remember is to try to stay calm, accidents unfortunately do happen and even if they were not your fault they were most likely not intentional.
You must stop if you think you have caused damage or injury. It is an offence not to stop at the scene of an accident. You must by law to report to the police if your car hits a dog or farm animal, but it is not necessary if you hit a cat or wild animal, but you must make sure the animal is not injured or suffering. Next you need to ensure the accident site is safe.
It is helpful to oncoming traffic to switch on your hazard lights to warn them of an incident and turn off your engine. If anyone is hurt then you must dial 999 immediately. If the scene is hazardous to oncoming traffic or someone has left the scene without leaving their details you should also call the police.
It is very useful to keep an accident pack in the car, containing a notebook, pen, and all the details you are required to give following a road traffic accident. If you do not own a camera phone it is useful to have a disposable camera available to take photos of the scene, street names, positions of the cars etc. This is all very useful when making a claim for compensation.
It is important to make a note of the names, addresses, contact numbers home-mobile and insurance details, plus the vehicle registrations of all the drivers involved, and also get the details of any passengers. All drivers are required by law to exchange all the above details. It is helpful to make a note of the make, model, colour and position-direction of travel of all cars involved in the accident. It is often hard to recall this after an accident and things can get confusing. You must notify your insurance company as soon as possible following an accident, weather you are at fault or not.
Always ensure you have read your insurance policy fully including the small print. Check what is included in your cover to ensure you have things like a hire car in the interim period of fixing or replacing your car out, and your level of personal injury cover.
