in car crash today...whiplash...insurance co. want it over by thursday...help?

[chinadoll]

Was front passenger in a car crash today...we were waiting at a filter road for a chance to move into the main road when a larger car bumped into us from behind. I twisted my neck at the time of impact and now have a very sore neck and also hit the head rest sideways with a hell of a whack.... Insurance co. said go to my GP and they want to have it all cleared up by thursday.....are they rushing us ??? should we be wary? Damage to car is smashed in rear bumper ...damage to lower part of hatch back .... GP said I have whiplash...take panadol.....have heard it can last for a long while.... anyone with any advice? GP said to give his name to the insurance company and they would communicate!!! is this the end of it for us. WHat if this injury lasts longer than settlement date of thursday????
Need ur best advice ABers!

[~Wingnut~]

Sorry no advice China, just wanted to say sorry to hear about your accident, How scary! I wish you a speedy recovery!
Best Wishes
~Wingnut~

[Big Al1st]

Hi China, Sorry to hear the news. I am surprised they want to settle so quick.
My understanding is ( but dont take it as Gospel ) is that they should wait to see what if any permanent or long term damage has been done.
I believe that this is because once you have settled then you cant go back for second helpings.
I would query their rush and try get a second opinion.

Please dont take what I said as true because I am not certain Rgds

[steviep165]

china honey!!!!!!!!!
you okay babes.!! sue them all!!!.
does this mean no gymnastics tonite!xxx

[whiffey]

I hope you are alright chinadoll.

If you were damaged then you can of course claim compensation. Here is a true story, it might help.

I got shunted from behind at a roundabout, got out and talked to the driver, a nice girl as it happened. I saw she was ok, then obviously the insurance details had to be swapped. But a few days later it got interesting ! I got a hire car, the repairs to my car were going to take weeks, etc etc, I was asked pointedley if I had whiplash - no I didn't - er, are you sure - yes I am sure.

If your injury is serious and disabling then follow it up. There will however be all sorts of people on the trail trying to make a bob or two out of your misfortune.

[dot.hawkes]

maybe they are hoping you don't go to one of those 'have you had an accident' merchants. take your time, they have nothiong in the policy to say how long it has to take i am sure.

[dot.hawkes]

oh and sorry it has happened, if you have to have time off work make sure you keep a note of any non paid sick days.

[Solarjunkie]

Go to an osteopath. A low speed crash (total speed about 30) that resulted in my having whiplash took me to a cranial osteopath several times, the last time was two years later. Worth every penny; I know of people still having pain years or decades later, rest & Panadol will help in the inital stages, but then - GET THEE TO AN OSTEOPATH!
Good luck.

[yesmadam]

Try to get in contact with the Insurance Ombudsman Bureau, I.O.B. I cant get the link up at the mo but if you google them they should come up... get all the legal info you can.
Wishing You All The Best... xx

[Miss Zippy]

I assume it is the third party's insurers that is rushing you to settle? Which insurance company is it out of interest? Don't be pressurised into accepting any compensation just yet. Until your symptoms have subsided and until your GP or specialist can determine precisely what damage has been done (whiplash is just soft tissue damage which can take anything up to 24 months to heal, but you could have other damage), the level of compensation appropriate to you cannot be determined. The normal procedure when dealing with whiplash claims is to arrange a medico-legal report approx 3 -6 after the injury. This report will state what damage you sustained, how it has disrupted your everyday activities, how well you are healing and provide a prognosis. Compensation (called "general damages") is based on this medico-legal report.

[Miss Zippy]

p.s. keep a 'pain diary', noting down the days and times you feel unwell, what caused it (eg, do you now have difficulty performing a routine domestic task), how long it lasted and how you felt etc. All this evidence is taken into account when calculating your compensation.

[Dutty_Burd]

Similar thing happened to my sister in January, only difference being that she was the driver and a skip lorry went into the back of her whilst she was waiting at the lights. He wrote off her car and denied all liability. She was nauseaous for the first few days when it happened, had back problems and now suffers from headaches. The guys insurerer sent my sister to their Dr and he said she needed 3 months worth of physio to rectify the problems. My advice - don't let them rush you into anything and also you've got to ask yourself WHY they want this all settled by Thursday?!?!? My sister has been suffering since January.