Road Traffic Accidents Regrettably, most of us will have the misfortune to have at least one road traffic accident in our lives. According to the Dept of Transport, every year there are over 200,000 injuries as a result of road traffic accidents, mostly car crashes, including over 3,000 fatalities and approximately 40,000 serious injuries. These awful statistics have improved very little in recent times. Speed cameras, moreover, have had absolutely no impact whatsoever other than to swell the coffers of the Treasury (£10,000 per hour according to a recent Daily Mail Online article - a nearly 4 fold increase in 10 years - a total of £840 million between 1997 and 2007). Hence, if the number of injuries is to fall, then the focus needs to be upon real road safety measures and the speed camera's need to go.

If you have been involved in a road traffic accident which was caused by somebody else and the road traffic accident happened within the last three years, then you are legally entitled to claim compensation. However, road traffic accident claims can give rise to difficult and protracted legal liability disputes, especially when both parties involved blame each other for the road traffic accident. To ensure that you establish liability against the other driver, it is essential therefore that you are represented by an expert and this is where we can help.

By law all drivers must have at least third party insurance cover. This means that their insurers will pick up the bill if the driver causes a road traffic accident and injury to any other party (including any passengers, whether related to the driver or not). If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a road traffic accident with an uninsured driver, or with a driver who doesn't stop after the road traffic accident, then your claim is likely to be covered by a special agreement covered by the Motor Insurers' Bureau (the MIB) which is an organisation set up specifically to cover such road traffic accidents.

What to do if you are involved in a road traffic accident

If you are involved in a road traffic accident, you should try to obtain the following:-

• Write down the name, address and telephone number of others involved in the road traffic accident.
  
  
• Make a careful note of the date and time of the road traffic accident, the street and city, and weather and road conditions.
  
  
• Make a note of the registration number, make, model, & colour, of all the vehicles involved in the road traffic accident.
  
  
• Obtain details of the insurance company and policy number of all the parties involved in the road traffic accident.
  
  
• Obtain the name, address and telephone numbers of any witnesses to the road traffic accident.
  
  
• If the police attended the road traffic accident, obtain the officers name and badge number.
  
  
• Draw a diagram showing the positions of the vehicles, people and property immediately before and after the road traffic accident, and take photographs of the damage to your vehicle, and the road layout.
  
  
• Visit a Doctor to document any injuries arising out of the road traffic accident and take photographs of any visible injury.

If you did not manage to get all of above, don't worry. It will not prejudice your road traffic accident claim.

The value of your road traffic accident claim

The value of your road traffic accident claim will depend upon the severity of the injuries, the length of time taken to recover, and whether or not there are any residual long term symptoms. For road traffic accident compensation claims, it is important that injuries arising out of the road traffic accident are documented by medical professionals. If you are injured in a road traffic accident, then you should ensure that you attend your doctor or hospital as soon as the symptoms caused by the road traffic accident become obvious. The record of the injuries you sustained in the road traffic accident will be used as the basis in assessing the value of your claim.

Apart from your injury claim, your claim for damages may include

• Loss of past and future income
  
  
• Damage to your vehicle and property
  
  
• Vehicle hire
  
  
• Medical expenses for the past and for the future
  
  
• Assistance for the future
  
  
• Prescriptions
  
  
• Insurance excess
  
  
• Reduced employment prospects in the future
  
  
• Expenses in relation to the claim
  
  
• Whiplash injuries

The most common type of injury caused by a road traffic accident is a whiplash injury. This is usually characterised by a collection of symptoms that occur following damage to the neck, back, and shoulders, usually as a result of a sudden strain affecting the discs, muscles, nerves, or tendons, in those areas caused by a sudden acceleration or deceleration of the head, neck and back. The head is violently thrown backwards, forwards, or sideways, in the road traffic accident, followed by reflex contraction in the opposite direction. Swelling and inflammation occur due to damage caused by the rapid movement which leads to pressure being placed on the nerves. Symptoms following a road traffic accident may be present immediately or may develop gradually over a number of hours, days, or weeks after the road traffic accident. They may include:-

• Pain or stiffness of the neck, back, jaw, shoulders, or arms
  
  
• Headache and dizziness
  
  
• Loss of feeling, or burning or prickling in an arm or hand
  
  
• Nausea or vomiting
  
  
• Blurred vision
  
  
• Balance problems
  
  
• Psychological symptoms arising out of road traffic accidents can include memory loss, concentration impairment, nervousness, irritability, sleep disturbances, fatigue and depression.

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