First things first
After your accident you will have contacted the Insurance Commission to advise them of the accident and make a claim. If you haven’t already you should also advise the Police of the accident, as the law requires a motor vehicle accident to be reported where a person has sustained an injury.
Make sure that you keep your Insurance Commission claim number in a safe place! Also make sure that you have
- the name and registration number plate of the person who caused the accident
- the contact details of any witnesses to the accident
- photographs of the damage to your vehicle (if relevant)
- photographs of any visible injuries (if relevant)
Early on in your claim it is a great idea to obtain some legal advice. If you phone us we can take some preliminary details from you, give you initial advice and organise an appointment so that we can give you further advice and take all of the relevant details from you.
Building your case
We will work with you to obtain all the necessary evidence to prove your claim. This will include
- Medical evidence such as medical reports, hospital records and radiological reports
- Economic evidence such as taxation returns to prove your income or letters from employers
- Evidence of out of pocket expenses including receipts
We will meet with you approximately once every three months to discuss how your claim is progressing and to move things along.
Records to keep
It is important that you keep good records of what’s happening after the accident. Things like
- dates of appointments with doctors and their names and addresses
- distances that you travel for medical and physiotherapy/hydrotherapy appointments
- receipts (e.g. for medications or medical treatment) so that these can be reimbursed
- a journal of what things make your pain worse or better to assist your doctors in treating you
When do I settle my claim?
The length of the claim process ultimately depends on the type of claim you have. Once medical practitioners advise your injuries are stabilised and final medical specialist reports are issued, we can commence settlement.
It is essential that there is not likely to be any further deterioration, or that we know what that deterioration may be. Once you accept a settlement offer you will not be able to return and claim further compensation. It is therefore important to seek expert legal advice before accepting an offer to ensure the offer is reasonable.