Our taxi accident claims guide is here to help victims understand what to do following a accident or injury that wasn’t their fault.
Road traffic accidents are an unfortunate feature of modern life, with so many people on the road at any time. Taxi drivers spend more time driving than most, meaning that they have a higher chance of being in a road traffic accident. If you are unlucky enough to be involved in a taxi accident, whether as the driver, passenger or other road user, you may be able to make a compensation claim for any injuries you may have suffered.
If you are thinking about making a personal injury claim for a taxi accident, call us on 0121 565 4317 or use our online claims form to arrange your free, no obligation consultation.
Common Taxi Accident Injuries
The types of injuries you might experience as a result of your taxi accident really depend on where you were on the road. If you were a cyclist, motorcyclist or pedestrian involved in a taxi accident, you are likely to have slightly different injuries than if you were the driver or passenger in the taxi or another car involved in the accident. Some common taxi accident injuries include:
1. Whiplash
Whiplash is an injury to the muscles of your neck, caused by your head moving faster than the rest of your body. Symptoms include neck pain, headaches, difficulty moving or turning your head and pain in your shoulders and even your arms. It is very common following all road traffic accidents and is often a part of taxi accident claims. It can be important to make a claim for whiplash quickly after a taxi accident, as physiotherapy is highly recommended to help you to heal as quickly as possible and NHS waiting lists can be very long. The compensation you receive as a result of your taxi accident claim can allow you to get private treatment and be back to your usual self that much sooner.
2. Head Injuries
Head injuries range from relatively minor bumps to concussions, compressions and even brain damage and fatal injuries. Minor head injuries are often associated with headaches and soreness, but concussions and compressions can come with associated dizziness, confusion and extreme drowsiness. If you have suffered any form of head injury in your taxi accident, it is essential that you seek medical attention to make sure that there are no serious underlying conditions to worry about. While the majority of head injuries recover reasonably quickly, they can be painful while they last and serious head injuries can have major, life altering consequences.
3. Chest Injuries
During the course of a taxi accident, many people receive chest injuries, as a result of their torso pushing hard against the seatbelt. This can lead to cuts, severe bruising or even broken bones.
4. Spinal Injuries
In addition to whiplash, there are a wide range of other spinal injuries that can occur as a result of being in a taxi accident. These can include disk herniation or spinal fracture. These injuries can be serious, requiring extensive time off from work and rehabilitation. These can lead to significant financial difficulties that it is important you are compensated for.
5. Abrasions (cuts)
A taxi accident is a chaotic event and many people suffer an array of cuts and bruises, some of which may be quite serious. Although these may be among the less serious of your injuries from your taxi injuries, they could still be included in your taxi accident compensation claim.
Is It Difficult To Make Taxi Accident Claims?
Making any kind of a legal claim is worrying, so we have put together a step by step guide to making your no win no fee claim with us.
- Talk To Us About Your Potential Claim
You can get in touch with us by calling on 0121 565 4317 or by using our online claims form for a free call back. Whether you call or claim online, we will need to talk to you to make sure that we properly understand your case. This is important in order to give you the best possible service. The sheer quantity of information can seem daunting, but our compassionate, expert team of no win no fee accident claims solicitors are highly experienced and know exactly what to ask. You don’t need to have all of the information to hand. We will guide you through the process.
- Hire Your Solicitor With A No Win No Fee Agreement
If your claim is eligible for a no win no fee agreement, we will offer this to you. This is a legal contract and will include our obligations to you, an explanation of how (and how much) we get paid and makes the agreement between us formal. We will also let you know the range of compensation we would expect you to receive if your claim is successful. You will not need to pay us anything to get started with your no win no fee claim. We are paid at the end of the case and if we don’t win, you don’t have to pay anything.
- We Notify The Other Party
Once you have signed a no win no fee contract with us, we are able to work on your behalf. We will write to the person who was at fault in your taxi accident and injury explaining the claim you are making and giving them a set period of time to respond. This is a legal requirement which gives them the opportunity to admit that they were at fault for the accident (this is known as accepting liability) or to claim that they were not to blame (denying liability). If they accept liability, all that is left is to decide on the most appropriate level of compensation for your injuries. Quite often the other party (also known as the respondent) will deny liability, at least at first. This isn’t something to worry about.
- Gathering Evidence
If the respondent denies liability for your accident or injury, we will investigate on your behalf and gather evidence to prove that they were at fault. In the case of a taxi accident, this could include the police report, photographs of the scene of the accident and statements from any eye witnesses. Because you have chosen a no win no fee arrangement, you won’t have to pay for any reports or investigations yourself, meaning that we can get the highest quality evidence without you having to worry about the cost. Once we have done this, most respondents will admit liability. Remember that we will have discussed your no win no fee claim with you as the very first step, so we know that you have a strong case.
Almost all of our cases are resolved at this stage, but a few respondents will continue to deny liability. If this is the case, you may have to go to court. Our expert personal injury solicitors will be with you and supporting you through every step of the process, in the unlikely event that this happens to you. If you go to court, the settlement will usually be decided by the court, rather than negotiated between solicitors.
- Negotiating Your Settlement
Once liability has been established, the solicitors for the other side will make an offer for how much compensation they are willing to pay. You are never under any obligation to accept an offer. It can be hard to know whether an offer is fair or not, but we will be able to explain any factors in your case which make an impact on the amount of compensation you should receive. We will let you know whether we believe that an offer of compensation is fair or not, but accepting it will still be your decision.
Is It Expensive To Start Taxi Accident Claims?
Many people worry about huge legal fees piling up if they make a claim for compensation following their taxi accident and injury. We don’t believe that justice should only be available to those who can afford to pay up front. This is why we offer our services on a no win no fee basis for the vast majority of our taxi accident claim clients. With a no win no fee arrangement in place, we are able to act on your behalf and get you the compensation you deserve as a result of your taxi accident, without you having to pay anything up front. Best of all, we only get paid a percentage of your compensation payment, meaning that if we are unable to get you the compensation you deserve, you won’t have to pay a penny.
How Much Compensation Might I Receive For My Taxi Accident?
It is not possible to give estimates for how much compensation you can expect to receive following your taxi accident compensation claim without knowing the unique details of your case. This is because only part of the compensation you receive is based on the nature of the injury you receive.
Compensation in all personal injury claims is made up of several factors. The first relates to the nature of the injury itself and is designed to compensate you for the pain and suffering you have experienced as a result of your injury. The amount of compensation you might receive for this is set by the Judicial College (a national governing body) and is in broad ranges. The ranges are deliberately very wide, to allow for the huge variation in injuries and prognosis (the likelihood of getting better).
The other part of your compensation claim comes from the costs and losses you might have suffered as a result of your taxi accident and the resulting injuries. These might include having to make changes to your home (or even having to move to a new, more accessible, home), employing a carer to look after you and any other costs associated with your care and rehabilitation. If you are unable to work as a result of your taxi accident and injury, or if you have to change careers, you may also be able to claim for loss of earnings and loss of potential future earnings. The purpose of this type of compensation is to help you to get your life back on track, so it is important that you have the help of expert personal injury solicitors to ensure that you are claiming for all of your associated expenses.
If you are thinking about making a taxi accident claim, call us now on 0121 565 4317 or use our online claims form to arrange your free, no obligation consultation.
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