If you have been involved in a motorway accident it can be a frightening experience for all concerned. Making a personal injury compensation claim can help you immeasurably when the path to recovery can appear to be a long and difficult one to tread. The speed of impact can cause multiple injuries that are often severe in nature. If the accident was someone else’s fault, you are entitled to make an injury claim for compensation for your pain, suffering and loss of amenity as well as for other losses sustained as a result of the accident, such as loss of earnings, rehabilitation costs, etc.
What the statistics reveal about motorway accidents
In England we travel 153 billion kilometres each year on our motorways. Traffic density on motorways has increased by 27% over the last ten years, with the M2 showing the largest growth between 2001 and 2006 (26%).
Department for Transport statistics for the year ending 2010, show that there were 10,369 casualties as a result of motorway accidents in Great Britain. There were 118 fatalities and 798 people were seriously injured on our motorway network.
According to Smart Driving 2008, driver error is the main cause of 90% of all UK motorway accidents.
Indeed, under-inflated tyres account for 6% of UK motorway fatalities each year according to government statistics.
More than 1,500 people are killed or seriously injured on the hard shoulder each year in the UK (source: Green Flag Motoring Assistance).
The most common injury caused by a motorway accident is whiplash. This occurs when the neck is suddenly jolted as result of the impact of a crash. Pain can be most acute immediately following the accident and can last for days, weeks or even months. Symptoms include, neck pain (cervical spine), pain in the lower back (lumbar spine), shoulder pain, sensation in the arms and/or headaches
Injuries often arise as a result of wearing a seatbelt. While preventing you from moving forward, the seatbelt often causes chest injuries, and as a consequence bruising of the chest can be very uncomfortable. Depending on the speed of impact and the circumstances of the accident, injuries may involve skeletal fractures and serious cuts and abrasions caused by flying debris and crushing of limbs.
Claiming compensation from the negligent driver’s insurance company
If you have been involved in a motorway accident it is essential that you obtain the negligent driver’s details. At the very least, you should make a note of the driver’s registration. Your specialist personal injury solicitor will be able to trace the driver via a DVLA search, if the registration is accurately recorded.
If you were a passenger in a vehicle involved in a motorway accident you can make an injury compensation claim against the insurer of the driver who was at fault. This could be the driver of the vehicle in which you were travelling.
Your personal injury compensation claim will be submitted to the negligent driver’s insurance company. They will deal with your injury claim and pay your compensation and your personal injury solicitor’s costs.
We have a specialist panel of solicitors who have successfully recovered personal injury compensation for motorway accident victims across the UK. Our service is free of charge and our specialist panel of personal injury solicitors will act for you on a no win no fee basis. You will never be asked to pay a penny
If you wish to make a personal injury compensation claim, please call us on 0800 028 9995 or request a call back and one of our legally trained advisors will call you to discuss your claim on a free, no obligation basis. Alternatively, you can complete our online claim form or take advantage of our online live chat facility.
