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Copyright (c) 2011 Nicholas Jervis

Having been injured in an accident on the road you might find that you have sustained a whiplash injury. This could cause you pain to your neck, shoulders, back or even pins and needles in your arms and can generally make you feel unwell. If this has happened to you and you are considering making a claim for whiplash, how long will the whiplash claim take?

Factors that can affect your whiplash claim.

There may be many reasons why a whiplash claim can take some months or even years and we will look at each of these in turn.

Your whiplash injury.

The most important thing to consider when you have suffered a whiplash injury is to ensure that you can make a full recovery, or as full a recovery as possible. You may need treatment such as physiotherapy or chiropractic treatment and in most cases your whiplash claims solicitor will want to ensure that you have made a full recovery before even considering settling your whiplash claim. The reason this is vital is that once your whiplash claim is settled you are not able to return for more compensation. Therefore, if you settle your claim but subsequently find that you are still in severe pain and your pain actually deteriorates you would not be able to return to the other driver’s insurance company to request more compensation. Once you settle your claim it is settled for good. Therefore, the amount of time it takes for you to make a recovery is vital.

Medical evidence.

Another reason that can delay the settlement of your whiplash claim is medical evidence from an orthopaedic surgeon or a General Practitioner. As part of your whiplash claim you will need a full medical assessment to discover the full extent of your injuries and to give a prognosis explaining how long your injuries should last. If, when this evidence is obtained, the doctor states that you should be re-examined in a further 6 months to a year, then your solicitor will not want to settle your whiplash claim before this further examination has taken place. The length of time will depend very much on the recommendation of the doctor.

Your whiplash claim solicitor.

If you ask a whiplash claim solicitor to help you who is not a specialist or an expert in these matters, this can lead to a delay in the whiplash claim. When choosing your solicitor you should make sure you are dealing with an expert.

How long will a whiplash claim take to settle?

Bearing in mind the above factors, there are of course standard periods for a whiplash claim to settle. For example, if you suffer a minor injury and make a full recovery within a few weeks or months your whiplash claim could easily be settled within 6 months. If your pain is more severe, you might find that it could take up to 12 months to settle your claim. However, the majority of whiplash claims will be settled and concluded within 2 years of the date of the accident. It will only be the most severe whiplash claim injuries that are not settled within 2 years.

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Source by Nicholas Jervis