Road Accidents

The most common cause of the injuries we hear about are car accidents. We have many years of experience in claiming compensation for the victims of accidents on the road, whether you’re a driver, a passenger, or a pedestrian, and whether you were in a car, in a bus, or on a bike.

In motor accidents the person to blame is always insured, or if not, the Motor Insurer’s Bureau must step in, so there is never any question of whether the person responsible is able to pay. In each case it is only a matter of proving whether somebody is at fault, and if so, how much your compensation should be.

If you have been the victim of a road accident, we will of course undertake the responsibility of getting all the information needed for a successful claim.However, it’s always helpful if you can provide some or all of the following:

• Time and date of the accident.
• Names, addresses and telephone numbers of drivers, passengers and pedestrians involved. Don’t forget that people may be driving in the course of their employment, in which case the name and address of their employer should be noted.The vehicle registration numbers would also be helpful.
• The name of the other driver’s insurance company and the insurance policy number. It’s a criminal offence for a driver to refuse to give you these details if someone has been injured or there is damage to property.
• Name and number of any police officer attending.It is always a good idea to call the police if the accident is even moderately serious as they will carry out a great deal of the enquiries for you.

It’s also a good idea as soon as possible after the accident to make a few notes of what happened.For example, you could make a sketch of the accident showing the position of the two cars before and after. You could also note the speed of the vehicles, what the weather and visibility were like, and so forth. It is good practice always to keep a pen and paper in the car, and your mobile phone can be used to take photos.

Make sure you tell your own insurance company about the accident as soon as possible.

If you don’t have all these details we will be able to get them from the police if they were called, but this can cause a delay.

Finally, if you are the victim of “hit and run” driver who leaves the scene of the accident without giving you any details, or if false details are given, there is a special scheme for compensating you known as the Untraced Drivers Agreement.We can give you advice about the scheme if necessary.

If you have been injured in a road accident, contact Richard Godden, John Mitchell, or Ann Scott on 0131 222 8000.