‘Ambulance Chasing’ and the ‘Compensation Culture’

How many times have you heard the above terms mentioned in relation to personal injury claims?

Accidents at work, on the road and in the street cause misery, loss or worse to tens of thousands of people every year and for some the question of whether to claim is clouded by the undeserved stigma now attached to the idea of compensation.

But what is the reality?

The purpose of claiming compensation has, of longstanding, been to put the injured party back in to the position in which they would have found themselves had it not been for the accident. In short it is compensation being claimed and not an unearned bonus or reward.

Contrary to the speculation that personal injury claims have risen dramatically in number in recent times, the truth is that there has been little if any increase in real terms, but what has changed is the public perception of claims, together with a more positive awareness of the right to claim. It is not too many years ago that accident statistics were said to reveal that four out of five people who had a valid entitlement to claim did not do so.

The law exists to uphold the legal entitlements of all and claiming personal injury damages is no different to any other validly exercised right, whatever the status of public opinion or perception.