Passengers

Passengers (including pillion passengers) will generally be able to claim compensation for a personal injury unless they have caused the accident themselves.

Passengers sometimes feel they should not sue their own driver, particularly if the driver is a family member or long standing friend. Whilst it is not our place to persuade anyone that they should bring a claim, for those who are not sure we can say that we offer a sympathetic stance, and none of our passenger clients have reported any strain on their relationship with their driver because of our involvement.

SHOULD I USE PARK WOODFINE HEALD MELLOWS LLP?

Your driver's insurer may try to arrange legal cover for you.

Clients have reported many problems with these arrangements:

• that the panel solicitors will not be local;
• that the case will be dealt with by a string of different personnel;
• that the personnel dealing with the case are difficult to contact; and
• that the actual personnel dealing with the case are not qualified or independently accredited as personal injury specialists.

One of the reasons these organisations insist that their “panel” solicitors represent you is that they collect a referral fee (reported to be as high as £700 per case) from the solicitor.

You can overcome these problems by contacting us before you contact your insurer. If you have already commenced a claim and are not happy with this service then contact us.

We offer a personal and local service from independently accredited personal injury specialists.

Claims Management Companies advertise on television, on the radio and in newspapers. They may even approach you in the street or contact you at home. Their panel solicitors pay for your case and agree to be bound by the Claims Management Company's rules. This often means that their hands are tied when it comes to which medical expert they instruct and how they conduct the case. As a result, a large proportion of the compensation may not reach the client.

As a matter of policy we do not pay for cases to be referred to us. We are independent, which means we can give you independent advice based on your needs and expectations. It means we can instruct appropriate medical experts and conduct the case efficiently so that you keep the majority of your compensation.

All staff who deal with personal injury work have signed up to the APIL Consumer Charter.

DO YOU OFFER “NO WIN, NO FEE”?

Yes, but that is only one funding option. We also conduct cases on a private paying basis, under legal aid (in those rare cases it is available), or under legal expenses insurance if you have it.

We will discuss the options with you so you can decide which is the best for your personal circumstances.

WILL I KEEP 100% OF MY COMPENSATION?

Many organisations promise “no win, no fee” clients that they will receive 100% of the awarded compensation. However, for these organisations to make a profit, they are very selective as to which cases they take, and they often settle for too little. Park Woodfine Heald Mellows LLP will act in any case that has reasonable prospects of success, and will act so that the client receives the best award possible. This means that we have to take some of the compensation. However, it is usually less than 5%.

We believe that the client who proceeds on a “no win, no fee” basis will still receive more compensation by instructing Park Woodfine Heald Mellows LLP than those organisations that offer 100% compensation.

WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?

If you think you might have a claim, then please use our contact form and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.