• Raise the small claims limit for personal injury claims from £1,000 to £5,000, which means that claims of less than £5,000 will be transferred to the small claims court and solicitor fees will not be recoverable – leaving some injured people with no legal help or support, and
• Remove the right to compensation for ‘minor’ soft tissue injuries (includes whiplash).

No help from legal experts following car crash

If these changes go ahead as planned, Graysons’ experts will not be able to help people who fall into these categories with their claims and they will have to make the claims in the Small Claims Court themselves, with no legal knowledge or expertise.  Many of our clients have told us that they would not be able to pursue such claims and would feel that they are not being allowed access to the justice they deserve when they have been injured through no fault of their own.

Amy helps clients win compensation

Road traffic accident solicitor, Amy Cartwright, has recently dealt with two car crash cases in which the clients would not be able to get assistance from legal experts if the planned changes go ahead.

Amy Cartwright

In one case, a client was injured in an accident when a driver pulled across the road in front of her to park, colliding with the her car.  The client suffered injuries to her cervical spine and jarring to her neck.  She suffered for about 8 months and needed physiotherapy. The opponent’s insurers failed to settle the claim and so Amy had to issue legal proceedings.  The case was settled, however, pre-trial and Amy won £2,400 in compensation for her client.

In another case, Amy won £2,100 in compensation for a client whose car was hit by another car approaching from the opposite direction whilst overtaking a cyclist.  The driver of this vehicle fled the scene, but the client took the registration number and Amy pursued the driver.  The client suffered with a lower back injury that lasted for around 4 months.  Again insurers were reluctant to deal with the case and didn’t settle it until Amy sent notice of her intention to issue court proceedings.

We think that the proposed changes to road traffic accident compensation claims are unfair and will restrict people’s right to proper redress if they have an accident or injury that is not their fault.  Graysons will continue to help victims of personal injury claims wherever possible so please do contact our specialist team now if you need help.

You can find out more about claiming compensation for road accidents on our web pages.