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Road Accident Solicitor: Can You Trust Their Insurer?
By Credit Watcher | September 2, 2010
It’s not unusual for the third party’s insurance company to contact you offering to settle your claim if you’ve been involved in an accident. So should you liaise with their insurers or use a road accident solicitor?
Recently, insurers have been lambasted in the press and by consumer and road accident solicitor groups for using a tactic known as third party capture. Or, if you prefer to use its more friendly name. Third party assistance.
This technique basically involves getting in touch with the victim and making an offer to settle their claim. This usually happens very quickly after the incident and often before the victim has consulted a road accident solicitor. Of course, you might interpret this as wonderful customer service which puts the victim first. But if you were to ask a road accident solicitor, they might not agree.
This is because it is not uncommon for the awards offered by the insurers are lower than the compensation that a road accident solicitor might have won for the victim.
What is potentially more worrying is that this practice, until recently, had no regulation at all. And even now all that exists is a voluntary code of practice. The code, set up by the Association of British Insurers states that insurers must not first approach the victim in person. This is because some accident victims have previously felt pressured by agents calling on them and accepted the settlement without consulting a road accident solicitor. Also, the code dictates that insurance companies must underline the victim’s right to seek independent legal advice at any stage.
Ultimately, the decision lies with the accident victim about how to go about getting compensation for their injuries and damage to their vehicle. But there is certainly no harm in asking a road accident solicitor’s opinion, especially since he or she will most probably take on your claim on a no win no fee basis and recover their costs from the other side.
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