Accident Help Line

[mintymow]

Has anyone had any experience with making a claim for compensation using Accident Help Line on a No Win No Fee basis. I see they recommend taking out and After The Event insurance presumably there are costs for the claimant anyway despite what is claimed.

[factor-fiction]

Yes, I thought they always required you to tale out an after the event insurance poicy (but maybe they only require that if they think the chance of success is less than 100%).
Maybe they add the cost as a cost that they recover from the other side if you win. But yes, if you lose it has cost you the price of the insurance.

[mintymow]

Thanks factor 30. Have someone coming round tomorrow to explain things, just wanted to try and get my head round this beforehand,

[ummmm]

Have you got a strong case?

Personally I wouldn't use a solicitor that required an insurance policy.

[jackthehat]

Give us a brief explanation, mintymow................

I have a little experience with them.

[buildersmate]

A solicitor that insists on an insurance policy wants it both ways - heads you win and I get my commission; tails you lose and I still get my commission.
These people are allegedly vultures, I'm told.

[Barmaid]

Most ATE insurance policies require an assessment of 50% or more chances of success. They can be a good way of those who can't afford to litigate pursuing a case. What people forget is that if you DON'T have ATE insurance and you lose (and despite the merits of a case, the way the evidence comes out can easily change the direction of things) you end up paying the other side's costs. How many people can afford to risk £10k? That is why ATE insurance is a life saver for some. Public legal funding is becoming less and less available.

One thing worth investigating though is whether the claimant's house insurance policy also has legal cover. May well be worth a look. If it is an RTA, again worth looking at what is covered.

I have no personal experience of Accident Help Line so I can't comment. However, in general ATE insurance is a good thing to protect those who can't afford to go to law without it.

[mintymow]

Hi Jackthehat, Basically I had a fall in a supermarket. A small pile of packaging had been left on the floor next to the freezers. I was looking into the freezer, didn't see the packaging and fell over hurting my back. It was low to the ground and my husband hadn't seen it either. More than getting compensation which might be useful for some physio or osteopathy I'm just so very cross that this should happen and its not my fault. I am getting on in years and well aware of the dangers of falling which can bring on all sorts of problems. So what do you think? do I have a case.

[boxtops]

I used to work in a insurance department dealing with liability claims, and I would have thought that in the first instance you may have a good claim in that the supermarket was negligent in leaving the boxes there (but equally you're contributory in that you should have seen them). However I don't understand this ATE business. There seem to be plenty of No Win No Fee injury claim outfits popping into my email spam box regularly - I wouldn't expect to have to pay anything up front, I'd rather take a claim out direct against the shop myself.

[jackthehat]

In that case, as Barmaid says, it may well be the way forwards for you. Just don't get brow-beaten into anything.

[Barmaid]

Have you been to the doctors? What are your injuries? What is the prognosis? Were there any warning signs?

I would suggest you "shop around". Try calling a couple of local solicitors (call the Law Society and ask for solicitors in your area who do personal injury on a no win no fee basis). Just like you would call anyone else for comparable quotes and services, I would be inclined to do a comparison before you decide on who to instruct.

[ummmm]

That's a hard one to call though. Someone unpacking boxes in a supermarket...they will have to leave the boxes unattended for a certain amount of time. And rely on customers to look...

I would guess that you will need insurance in circumstances like that.

[Barmaid]

I don't see this one as too hard. Supermarket leaves hazard on floor, lady trips. There may be some contrib depending on how visible and how big this pile of boxes was. That comes down to the evidence. The supermarket has to take their victim as they find them. Thus someone elderly or with poor sight is likely to recover somewhere near 100%. Someone who saw the boxes and still tripped will have damages reduced.

Shop around minty - try your local solicitors as well.

[gina32]

i used national accident helpline recently and thought they were very good, no after the event insurance and case paid up within 6 months

[BertiWooster]

It should be noted that ATE insurance is not just taken out for liability issues , but also for quantum .

Liability might not be an issue , however there might ( or i should say , will almost certainly be ) a difference in valuation by the denfendants and your representative .

If both sides cant come to an agreement and your representatives considers that the claim is being hugely undervalued by the defendant , then the only option ( apart from backing down ) will be to litigate .

[mike11111]

I remember the good old days when solicitors were forbidden, either by law or professional ethics (can't remember which) from advertising in any shape or form, apart from a brass plaque at the door stating name, qualifications and the word 'Solicitor(s) and Commisioner(s) for Oaths.

[BertiWooster]

Compared to now , where they are allowed to advertise their services in Hospitals

[trt]

I wonder how Netto get away with it, there is always empty boxes and cartons along the isles?

[mike11111]

A doctor, bishop and solicitor went swimming off the Great Barrier Reef, when they were attacked by an enormous shark. The doctor and bishop were eaten alive, whilst the solicitor emerged unharmed. When asked to account for his miraculous escape, the solicitor replied, "Mere professional courtesy".

[mike11111]

I must congratulate trt in having the sheer guts to admit on the world wide web that she shops at Netto.