A whiplash injury calculator will ask you some very basic details – the one at Accident Advice Helpline asks just six simple questions:
· Were you injured in the last three years?
· Was the accident your fault?
· Did you receive medical attention?
· Where were you injured?
· Full name
· Telephone
All things that wont take too much thought to answer.
The estimate
A whiplash injury calculator will then produce an estimate of the amount you can expect to be awarded. You have to remember though that it is just an estimate because so many things can affect a personal injury compensation claim. Such things as:
· What type of injury you have sustained
· How severe your injury is
· The recovery time for the injury to heal
· The prognosis for your future health
· The effects of the injury on your life, for now and the future
Those are called the general damages and they are all to do to with your injuries. There are also special payments. These relate to material things that can be itemised, such as:
· Loss of income
· Extra medical expenses
· Travelling expenses
· Care costs if you can no longer look after yourself
· Any other cost or loss that is a direct result of the accident and your injuries
Other information
Once you have decided to proceed with your claim, that is when there will be other more detailed information required. The law firm will want to know whom the claim has to be made against. This can vary because of the type of accident involved, but does quite often involve an insurance company some where along the line. If the accident involved:
· A motor vehicle – it is illegal to take a motor vehicle on the UK roads without insurance, so normally it would be the drivers insurance company. Not everyone does everything legally though, and if they were driving with out insurance, the claim would be referred to the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB). The MIB exist to pay compensation to victims so they do not lose out because of a lack of insurance.
· Uneven paving slabs – if your whiplash occurred because you slipped or tripped and fell over, banging your head on the way down, on uneven pavement, this would be the responsibility of the local council who should have repaired it. They may well have public liability insurance to cover these events.
· A falling object – If something quite heavy fell from a shelf while you were at work, perhaps knocked your head sideways with some force, that would create a whiplash injury. In this instance your employer would be the guilty party. Unless your employer is one of the few exceptions to the rule, they will have employers liability insurance to cover work related accidents.
These are just some samples of who might be liable to settle your claim. The law firm would also want to know what evidence you may have such as medical reports, witness statements, police reports and anything else that will assist in making your personal injury compensation claim.
