Is it just co-incidence that the number of No Win No Fee personal injury claims have soared during the recession?
The most common reasons for making a claim for compensation are road traffic accidents, back strains (back injuries from lifting) or slips trips and falls. As the economic downturn has deepened the number of accident claims has risen dramatically. Experts have suggested that this trend has necessitated councils and companies to reduce their expenditure forcing them to neglect important health and safety issues.
The introduction of conditional fee agreements (CFAs) in 1998 was to make the legal system fairer for all. This arrangement with the lawyer or solicitor is what is now known as the 'No Win No Fee' claim. This means that a strong case will be heard in court regardless of the financial situation of the claimant.
Previous predictions that road traffic accidents would soar during the period of the economic downturn have actually been proved wrong. Analysts came to this conclusion due to the reckoning that more people would avoid their MOT and other vehicle checks without available cash to have the checks and any consequent repairs carried out.
Reports made by the Department of Transport showed that during the first year of severe economic decline from March 2008 to March 2009 the number of road traffic accidents decreased by no small margin; the numbers were down eight per cent with a report of a nine per cent fall in the number of people with minor injuries or suffering severe injury in that same year.
This could be simply because the current economic climate seems to have discouraged car use in general. With high levels of unemployment, fuel price rises and general strain on peoples finances people have definitely changed their driving habits. We know that people have stayed in more forgoing their usual shopping trips or eating out; which added to those who no longer have their usual journey to and from work due to redundancy or job loss would certainly account for the two per cent fall in car use over that year.
Despite all this, insurance companies have seen a rise in the number of personal injury claims being made. Figures produced by The Association of British Insurers (ABI) showed no win no fee claims at 9.6 billion last year and this figure is 8.8 billion more than two years previously. It certainly seems that individuals are more driven to make a claim in these difficult times than they seemed to be before the downturn, also that people are now more open to the idea of making a claim due to sustaining minor injuries like back strains due to muscle spasm or minor whiplash as opposed to only making a claim due to more severe and lasting problems. But all this may purely be down to the fact that people now know that they can make and win that claim...
Have you suffered an injury at work or on the road in the past three year that wasn't your fault? Legal Request are one of the leading No Win No Fee personal injury claims specialists.
I used the services of Legal request for a claim after a recent road traffic accident. Their representative was very helpful and informative, ensuring the process was as smooth as possible and stress free. The fact that they offered to come to my place of work for me to fill the forms in, saved me a lot of time and hassle. Above all legal request made a difficult situation very easy, I would certainly recommend their service to anyone who needs it.
Zoe W
Legal Request is regulated by the Ministry of Justice in respect of regulated claims management activities, authorisation number CRM2092
www.claimsregulation.gov.uk
