| Q. |
How do I qualify for compensation and how long after my accident do I have to make a claim?
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| A. |
You qualify if you have suffered injury within the last 3 years in an accident that was not your
fault. There are a few exceptions to the time limit rule. If you were a child at the time of your
accident, then the 3 year time limit runs from your 18th birthday or if you have suffered an industrial
disease you may have longer to make a claim.
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| Q. |
Do I have to pay any costs to make a claim?
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| A. |
No. There are no upfront costs, no loans or adminstration costs to pay. If you lose, you don't pay.
If you win, our costs are recovered in full from the responsible party or the insurers. You will
receive 100% of the compensation you are awarded.
*There are 3 situations where we will be entitled to ask you to pay our costs and these are:
- Where you have knowingly made a fraudulent claim.
- Where you refuse to cooperate with us once your claim is underway e.g. failing to attend a medical appointment arranged or [a] court hearing; refusing to accept reasonable advice or answer letters/requests for information where this jeopardizes the success of the claim or our ability to recover our costs.
- Where you withdraw instructions and instruct another solicitor.
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| Q. |
How long will it take to settle my claim?
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| A. |
Straight forward non-fault road traffic accident claims can usually be settled in 4-6 months. Other
types of uncomplicated claims can be concluded in 6-12 months but may last 12-18 months if the claim is
disputed. The time taken does however depends on a variety of factors such as the complexity of accident
circumstances; establishing the correct party or parties to claim against; the nature of the injuries and
the speed of recovery.
Our pro-active case management system and approach to dealing with all
claims will ensure that the time taken is as short as possible.
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| Q. |
How much will I get?
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| A. |
This depends on the nature of your injuries and the extent of any financial losses you are claiming.
For a rough estimate of your personal injury award, click here...
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| Q. |
Will I receive an interim payment?
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| A. |
You have no automatic right to receive an interim payment, but if it is established very early in your
claim that it is a non-fault case and the other party is insured, insurers will often make an interim payment
to cover your immediate needs, thus reducing the level of your loss e.g. a replacment car to get you mobile
again or funds to cover rehabilitation costs if you have been unfortunate to have suffered a serious injury.
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| Q. |
Will I need to have a face to face meeting with my solicitor/advisor?
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| A. |
Not necessarily as most straight forward cases can be dealt with by an initial phone call and subsequent
calls or letters. You can however request an appointment to see your solicitor/advisor at any time.
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| Q. |
Why should I sign up to a "No Win, No Fee" agreement if you agree to act for me?
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| A. |
Because that way you will protect yourself from having to pay our legal costs if your case is lost. The
agreement is called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) and is usually entered into between a client and a
solicitor if the solicitor is of the view he will win your claim. Under the CFA, if the solicitor loses the
case (on its merits) he has to write off the legal costs he would have charged to the client and he will not
get paid for the work he has undertaken. If however he wins the case, his costs will be paid by the losing
party and in addition he will receive a bonus payment of costs called a success fee. The reason for the
success fee is that this covers the costs of the odd case he loses. The effect of is to transfer the risk
of pursuing the claim from the client to the solicitor and the cost of losing claims to the other party
(or more usually his insurers). In most cases this is an attractive low risk/cost option for those wishing
to pursue a personal injury claim.
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| Q. |
Why should I choose WM Claims to deal with my claim?
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| A. |
- We are experts in personal injury claims;
- We have excellent success rates;
- We have a friendly and committed team of solicitors/advisors;
- We offer a complete accident claims service;
- We are dedicated to providing our clients with a cost free, high quality, no nonsense and
efficient service.
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| Q. |
What do I need to do?
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| A. |
To find out NOW if you can make a claim, call us FREE on 0800 734 7654, send us an email using Email
Us, leave your details on our Call Me Back service or complete the Claim Online form.
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