How long does it take to receive compensation for a clear cut road accident?

Question

My boyfriend got knocked off his bike by a car. The driver admitted it was his fault and my boyfriend is now claiming for compensation for both the injuries he incurred and the damage to his bike and clothes. It is quite clear cut as the driver admitted liability so how long do you think we’re looking at before he receives his compensation?

Answer 1

whilst it would seem that driver admission simplifies things unless that was done in writing or in front of witnesses it is not a guarantee of success the drivers insurers will want to fully investigate the case using someone like me if there are any inconsistencies, you man will likely be asked to attend a medical and then the insurers will either fully accept partly accept or reject the claim. if they accept you will be made an offer and it will be up to you and your adviser what you do at this point. all this takes time, so typically 9 to 18 months but my claim for instance took 4 years and that was with a written admission

Answer 2

A lot of these companies will charge a fee and if you do claim, it's your money, so why give it to someone else? Have a look at your policy booklet. There should be a section called Uninsured Loss Recovery and that will tell you how to claim. Basically, if you have this cover included with your policy, your policy gives you free access to a solicitor who is recommended by your insurer. They will claim injury compensation, recover expenses etc. and it wont cost you anything. If they win their case, the other person's insurer foots the bill for their fee and if they lose, your insurer will pay their fee under the Uninsured Loss section of your policy. I should make you aware though that it wont be easy. To make an injury claim, your solicitor and the other person's insurer will want to see hospital records to show that you had injuries. They will also want to write to your employer to find out how long the injuries led to you being absent from work for as that will determine how long you were unable to carry out your day to day duties. They may want you to be examined again by their own doctors or to go to court and give evidence. It can take months or in some cases years. It will involve lots of letters and phone calls. It will be a stressful and difficult time and the insurer will not just hand over the money until it has been thoroughly investigated. Whilst you may be genuine, a lot of people aren't, and you would be surprised just how many bogus claims there are, so they will be checking every detail and will be asking you the same questions over and over again to see if there are any discrepancies in your answers.

Answer 3

Well there are several steps that the insurance company must go through:

1. Do a coverage investigate. aka- make sure the policy covered date of loss and the car is on the policy etc.
2. Do a liability investigation. They will likely get a statement from both drivers, get the police report etc.
3. Do an estimate on his bike and determine if it is a total loss.. if so.. they will pay actual cash value.
4. Get the bills for his injuries. They will then need to negiotate with him a settlement (this will likely be the longest process if he has unrealistic expectations.)
5. Pay injury

So.. theres no real time table. It could take a few days.. could take a few years.

Answer 4

Bike and equipment should be paid quite quickly (as long as the driver doesn't change his mind about admitting liability, which is quite likely after he talks to his insurers, hope he has witnesses prepared to confirm that he admitted liability at the scene...)

Injury claims will depend on wether or not your boyfriend is prepared to sign away any future claims for long term effects. If he does it could all be paid for in less than a year.

Answer 5

It could be months. Insurance companies are notoriously slow at paying out, no matter how clear cut it is. He may receive money for the bike and clothes before he receives money for the injury. Injury claims are not as clear cut financially as it depends on the degree of injury caused. Ask your insurance company to check whether or not an assessor has seen the damage to the bike and filed his report. Without this you won't receive any money for the bike.

Answer 6

Hi,
I had a prang on my bike in late October last year..I should be getting the cheque this week...Bike was a write off but liability was accepted by the other driver (she pulled out in front of me)...Despite this being my first claim with the bike insurance company (been with them 3years) and considering i was not at fault I was really pissed off today to get a letter saying that they were going to pay me out but that i was not "invited" to reinsure with them as i was now considered too much of a risk..I'm going to take this further as it affects all insurance I apply for in the future....Grrrrr!

Answer 7

The mere admission of liability by the driver at the scene doesn't automatically mean that the insurance company will see it that way. When they complete their investigation into the incident they will decide who is liable. This can take a few weeks. If the insurance company decides that their customer was not liable he'll have to sue the driver to get compensation.

Answer 8

i had a driver cut across in front of me at a junction, says he never saw me. the road at that point was 400 yards long and straight, he turned right, across my carriageway. i suffered 6 months off work, not my fault, good job i was fully comp with a protected n/c but it took 3 1/2 years to finalise.
Sounds too dodgy to me. it was not your fault, go thru the Ins. Co. thats what you pay your money for!!!!

Answer 9

I take it your b/f's insurance company is handling this. Get them to stir things up a bit - insurers are remarkably inert when it comes to paying out.

Answer 10

it could take anything up to five years. The drivers insurance company won't pay out until they really have to.