Compensation Explained – Personal Injury Claims – APIL
Insurance companies are asserting that in England and Wales we have a compensation culture. What does that mean and is it true?
What is a compensation culture?
The phrase ‘compensation culture’ is often used in today’s society. It is seen by some people as a sad indictment on UK society.
Compensation culture
This can be defined as a state whereby people assume that they are automatically entitled to claim for anything. People claim for compensation for an injury in which no-one was to blame and where common sense should have prevailed.
Some people view personal injury compensation as money which is just waiting to be claimed. Unfortunately, television advertisements have helped to encourage these attitudes. Claims management companies have also added to this by targeting anyone and everyone through cold calling.
Personal responsibility
Most reasonable people would argue that we have a personal responsibility for our actions. This means drawing a line between cases where an injury has occurred due to negligence and those which are an accident or due to carelessness.
At WTW Solicitors we do not run false claims, absurd claims and those which could have been prevented by using a bit of common sense.
The debate continues on whether a compensation culture actually exists or is something which has been blown out of all proportion.
Real claims deserve compensation
The fact remains that many people are injured every year as a result of an accident that was not their fault. This can cause stress and upset for both the victims and their families.
If this applies to you then you have a right to pursue a claim for compensation. Our experience is that many people who make a claim don’t do it just for the money but the chance of rebuilding their lives.
APIL (the Association for Personal Injury Lawyers) campaigns to protect the right of victims to claim compensation. It aims to dispel some of the myths that have grown up around personal injury claims.
From their website:
“Even people asked to look at it by the Government have concluded that it is a problem of perception – in other words a myth. Lord Young, in his report on health and safety said. “The problem of the compensation culture prevalent in society today is …… one of perception rather than reality.” While Professor Lofsted, who was also asked to review health and safety by the government said “The „compensation culture‟ (or the perception of it) in the UK has been the subject of several reviews over the last few years,, but no evidence has been presented for its existence”.“
https://www.apil.org.uk/compensation
An example of how the insurers see the problem and how they think the system should be changed.
Contact us
Our experienced and friendly personal injury team are here to help. Call 01535 662644 for a FREE initial chat.
All claims are run on a NO WIN NO FEE basis (see our personal injury page for more information).