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Have you been injured in a road accident where the driver responsible is uninsured. Have you been the victim of an untraced "hit and run" driver. Think you can't obtain compensation?

Wrong!!

It is not generally known that if you suffer injury in a motor accident whether as a driver, passenger or pedestrian where the guilty party is either uninsured or the accident is a hit and run scenario where the offending driver flees the scene, even in circumstances where his registration number has not been taken a claim can still be pursued against the Motor Insurers Bureau which is an organisation set up by the Government and Motor Insurers to compensate the victims of uninsured and untraced drivers.

The Motor Insurers Bureau does not publicise its existence which obviously minimises the number of claims and it is apparent that many people are unaware of the fact that they can bring such claims and recover damages.

The claims are governed by two agreements One is known as the Uninsured Drivers Agreement and the other the Untraced Drivers Agreement. They are somewhat different but ultimately the victim can recover damages as if the offending party was insured.

The two agreements have completely different procedures If a claim is made against an uninsured driver the procedure is almost identical to that in a normal insurance claim pursued by solicitors against an insurer. The only important thing to remember is that the Motor Insurers Bureau procedures are very complicated under that agreement and it is essential that the solicitor who is dealing with the case is particularly experienced in this area and is familiar with these procedures. The Motor Insurers Bureau does not make any allowances and can avoid paying out if the solicitor falls foul of its needlessly complicated procedure.

The procedure under the Untraced Drivers Agreement is different because there is never any litigation and the matter is dealt with by negotiation between the solicitor and the Motor Insurers Bureau. The Motor Insurers Bureau would in those circumstances always obtain a statement itself direct from the client in order to ensure that the circumstances were correct because there may not have been any witnesses and the only witness might be the Claimant alleging that he or she was in a hit and run situation. The police are normally at the scene. If the police were not called it is a requirement under the Untraced Drivers Agreement that the accident is reported to the police as soon as possible, preferrably within a day or so and certainly within 14 days. If the accident is not reported to the police within that period, the Motor Insurers Bureau will probably not pay out any damages.

We have considerable experience in dealing with claims involving the Motor Insurers Bureau. We always put the interests of our clients before ourselves, we invariably see our clients face to face and provide a personal service rather than dealing with someone at the end of the telephone which is far from ideal particularly in cases where injuries are serious and are life changing.

We do not use jargon, we speak to clients in plain English so they understand clearly what is going on and are always available on the telephone or in the office to see our clients and ensure that they understand what is happening.

Our aim is to support our clients through the claim, to obtain for them the maximum compensation and rehabilitation treatment so that they can get on with their lives as best they can after the accident.

Contact:
Mr David Dolties
Ms Suzanne Gulshan
Mr Christopher Timms