If the driver of the vehicle which caused the accident is uninsured then 
you will still be able to bring a claim against him or her. What can often 
happen is that the driver may think that he is covered by insurance but 
when a claim is made against him it is discovered that he has 
misrepresented or failed to disclose something to the insurance company 
who insure his vehicle. In those circumstances, you would still be able to 
claim against the driver and his insurers may well have to meet that claim.

To be safe you should report the accident to the police within 5 days of
the date of the accident. You must make a note of the time you made the 
call, the date, the name and number of the police officer you spoke to and 
most importantly, THE CRIME REFERENCE number.

However, if someone is driving a vehicle with no insurance whatsoever, then
there is an obligation on the MIB to deal with the claim brought by you. The
obligation is again hedged with conditions and it is important that those
conditions are complied with if you are to succeed in the claim. The MIB are
able to refuse to deal with the claims if they are not properly conducted
in accordance with their conditions which are weighted heavily in favour of
the MIB. We will be able to advise you on request. The MIB will deduct 
£300.00 from all damages before making payment to you.

We would strongly recommend that you instruct us in this type of claim due
to the terms and conditions imposed by the MIB. Please note that if you are
comprehensively insured, you will be obliged to claim your vehicle damage
from your own insurance company.

We can further assist you with the following information:-
   

Accident not your fault ?

Providing that the accident is clearly not your fault, we will act for you under
the terms of our Conditional Fee Agreement. This will ensure that you 
have no legal costs to pay. These will be recovered in full from the other 
party.

Legal Expense Cover

Sometimes, you will find that you already have legal expense cover to 
bring a claim. Please remember that it is your right to choose a Solicitor 
that you wish to represent you in the conduct of your claim. You may use 
the Solicitors that will be nominated by your insurance company but 
clearly their obligation will be to the insurance company who refer the 
work to them. 

They will be obliged to advise the insurance company on the progress 
of the claim and it can happen that the insurance company who insure 
you for legal expense cover on your vehicle will be linked to or even 
owned by the insurance company who insure the vehicle which caused 
the accident and then, there will clearly be a conflict of interest.      

Independence

We are totally independent and will be your Solicitor acting in your 
interest. We believe that it is in your interest to instruct your own Solicitors 
who are independent of insurance companies. 

Expertise

We are members of The Law Society Personal Injury Panel and have 
been vetted by The Law Society to ensure that we can deal with personal 
injury claims to the highest standards. We have recovered millions of 
pounds for thousands of clients and have been dealing with personal 
injury claims for over 30 years. 

We are also founder members of the Motor Accident Solicitors Society, 
the largest group of Solicitors specialising in recovering maximum 
compensation for road traffic accident claims in the United Kingdom.

Replacement of Hire Car

Subject to liability, we will be able to arrange a hire car whilst yours is 
being repaired. This will be subject to the hire company being satisfied 
that your claim will be successful and the arrangements for the hire will 
be between yourself and the hire company. Often, the hirer that we refer 
you to will await payment of their hire charges. Please note that 
whenever you take a hire vehicle on our recommendation you remain 
primarily responsible and liable for the hire costs whatever the outcome
of the claim and that you should appreciate that before entering into any 
arrangements with the hire company concerned.

Engineers Assessment

If you are insured on a third party fire and theft basis and your car is 
damaged then it will normally be necessary to have an engineer inspect 
your car. We use a nationwide firm of engineers who can get out to your 
car quickly to examine it and give a full report on the cost of repairs. 

Loans to Repair your Car

If you find yourself in financial difficulties with regard to the repair to the 
car then we can arrange a loan to assist you or an interim payment from 
the Defendants to repair your vehicle. This will be subject to liability 
and will be on the basis that the loan will be repaid out of any damages 
that you recover. 

Damages to be Recovered

Please note that we are fully conversant with all heads of damage to 
which you will be entitled and will include the following in the claim:-

•    Damages for personal injury. The value of which will vary on the 
     nature   of the injury and on how long recovery lasts and whether 
     the injury stops  you from working or pursuing other activities. 

•    Damage to your car, any property you were carrying or clothing 
     that you were wearing at the time of the accident. 

•    Loss of use of your vehicle and inconvenience. 

•    Car hire costs if appropriate.

•    Storage and recovery charges.

•    Loss of earnings of loss of profit if you are self employed. 

•    Insurance excess if you are comprehensively insured. 

•    Any costs that you can reasonably argue that were incurred as a 
     result of the accident. This can include the cost of people assisting 
     you in your day to day living if you were injured and are unable to 
     attend to your normal tasks. 

•    Damages for psychiatric and mental problems caused by the 
     accident. The assessment for this head of damage is complex 
     and you will be fully advised. 

•    Other losses that might be necessary to include such as if you 
     are away from work for a considerable amount of time then this 
     may effect your pension, also you may find that your job 
     prospects are effected. There are a number of technical heads 
     of damage which you will be fully advised of as appropriate. 

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE CAN ACT FOR YOU ON A 
“NO WIN NO FEE”  BASIS IF WE FEEL THAT YOUR CASE HAS 
A GOOD CHANCE OF SUCCESS. 

This means that we will recover costs from the other party. 

BE WARNED

A lot of accident management companies who claim to have expertise in the 
conduct of personal injury claim are simply selling your claim to Solicitors. 
Often, they will require you sign credit agreements to obtain expensive 
insurance which would not be recoverable from the Defendants and will 
have to come out of your damages. Some companies even make 
administration charges and take a percentage of the damages for dealing 
with the claim. This will not happen with ourselves as we have the experience 
and competence to properly deal with the claim that you make.
       

or
use our accident assessment form
or
e-mail:legal@bellandco.co.uk

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