Telford law firm highlights importance of getting a second opinion
Lawyers in Telford who specialise in helping people recover from life-changing injuries say they are shocked by how many clients are “completely disheartened” by the legal process following an accident.
Debbie Humphries, partner at Lanyon Bowdler and head of the Telford personal injury team, said victims of road traffic accidents usually had to deal with whatever law firm was appointed by their insurance company - often leading to an unsatisfactory outcome.
She said: “Very often clients are approached by solicitors who have been given their details as a result of the insurance the client has, and many clients sign up to work with these solicitors not realising that it is not a condition of their insurance that they must use them.
“In addition these firms are unlikely to be local to them, meaning the majority of their claim is dealt with remotely, so in many cases they never even meet the person supposed to be helping them on their personal injury claim journey.
“Unfortunately, insurers do not always tell their clients they can choose their own solicitor, and when someone asks if they can, they are told that if they wish to consider this, they are likely to incur legal charges.
“These discussions usually take place at a time when an individual is at their most vulnerable, in the aftermath of an accident where they may have sustained injuries, and they are potentially given information which is not quite correct.
“We are seeing a growing number of clients coming to us who are completely disheartened with their personal injury claims, which is simply not something, as someone who works in the legal process, I want to hear.”
Another member of Lanyon Bowdler’s personal injury team in Telford, Karen Clarke, who recently became a partner of the firm, said it was always worth seeking a second opinion.
She said: “A good example is a recent case involving a local lady who was a passenger in a car involved in a high-speed collision on the M5. She suffered serious injuries which greatly affected her daily needs and ability to work.
“The driver of the car had the necessary insurance which meant a panel law firm was instructed to deal with the claim. The injured lady was never offered a face-to-face meeting and was simply advised that £16,000 was a good settlement figure.
“Thankfully, she wanted a second opinion and contacted the team here at Lanyon Bowdler. We dealt with the claim on her behalf and ended up recovering a settlement of £400,000 instead.”
For more advice, contact the team by calling 01952 291222 or visit www.lblaw.co.uk
