“Please, I don’t want any money”

“I just want my life, my old life back” is one of the pleas I often receive from clients whom I am assisting with personal injury compensation claims. This desperation, a cry for everything they have lost through no fault of their own, usually stems from constant battles with difficult insurers who find any excuse to fend off claims or reduce these to pittance.

Take my client A, for instance, who came to the UK as a child refugee after losing both parents, one in traumatic circumstances. Despite early difficulties, A attended college as well as school and did reasonably well. After the breakdown of A’s marriage at a young age, A suffered psychological issues but was getting their life back on track when the accident happened. The insurers are of course adamant that A would not have moved on, would not have worked, or achieved anything because of their past. This is despite A still being in their mid-twenties. The insurers have written off A’s future because of their past! They are hoping A will accept their low offer, so that they can get out of the claim as cheaply as possible.

A, like many of my other clients, wishes this accident had not occurred because as A puts it “Peace of mind and independence are priceless. No money could ever be enough.”

B, another client, whose life fell apart after a very serious collision, repeatedly pleads to be pain free and to have his old life back. B does not want money; B just wants to go back to work and be normal. B was working long hours and enjoyed his job; it defined who he was and when that was gone following the accident, he lost all sense of purpose.  Life without working meant nothing to him and when B went to work for another employer after this accident and was forced to resign, the psychological reaction to that was extreme; it tipped him over the edge. He had returned to work when he was not in a fit condition to do so but was so fixated on working and could not accept his accident-related disability. B cannot bear the thought of claiming state benefits or receiving payments from anyone.

Fortunately, with a team supporting his rehabilitation,  B has reached a stage where he is functioning, but his condition is far from stable. It is against this background that the insurers meeting this claim have said with a few sessions of counselling B will be back to normal and working. If only that were true! The sad reality for B is that due to the nature of his injuries, it is unlikely that he will be returning to any form of employment let alone his former occupation.

The purpose of a personal injury compensation claim is put claimants back in the position they would have been in “but for” the accident or trauma as far as money is able, but of course, no amount of money could ever compensate those with life changing injuries.  Their struggles with life after such traumatic incidents are made all the more difficult by those who never meet them. They are usually judged on paper by what is written about them by some experts who have already made up their minds before their assessment. All so that savings could be made at their expense.

My plea to insurance companies is: don’t write off these seriously injured claimants; they never chose to be in this situation; pay them what they are due; they deserve that much.

*Disclaimer: The information on the Anthony Gold website is for general information only and reflects the position at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such. It is provided without any representations or warranties, express or implied.*