pathetic whip lash claims

[Sump]

Nezquick said:

Vaud said:

Show us a GP making 600k a year.

You misunderstand....these aren't your run of the mill GP's who you see down at your local surgery. These guys are in private practice doing reports for whiplash claims on a full time basis. I work in a business which deals with PI claims on a daily basis (thankfully on the Defendant side....not ambulance chasing) and some of the invoices I see from some experts for medical reports would make your eyes water; sometimes tens of thousands for a single report (albeit these are in the more serious PI cases).

The £600k per annum was, I admit, very crude maths but I did it to make the point. Make no mistake though, these experts are on hundred's of thousands a year just from the PI industry and from insurers paying for reports.

They usually double up whatever they get on the NHS. So £120k from NHS and they will match it up with £120k with private.

[Nezquick]

Bill said:

Nezquick said:

Really......have experience of this do you?

Yes, plenty. SWMBO is a GP and I'm a physio who's done plenty of reports. Where have you got this from?

FWIW I have seen a few specialist reports who probably did charge hundreds but those are the exception.

As i've explained in my post just a bit higher up, this was crude man-maths but the simple fact is that these experts/GP's who are in the insurance PI business make huge sums of money. Maybe your missus doesn't do these reports; I don't know whether she does or not; but those that do charge a lot for them.

You, being a physio, must deal with whiplash patients all the time through referral from these experts. IME, an "expert" will normally recommend 10 sessions at say £40 a time and say that recovery will take place in say 3, 6 or 12 months (or sometimes longer). It all adds up to the overall costs of the claim.

Contrary to what some have said above, it's not bks!

[Bill]

Nezquick said:

As i've explained in my post just a bit higher up, this was crude man-maths but the simple fact is that these experts/GP's who are in the insurance PI business make huge sums of money. Maybe your missus doesn't do these reports; I don't know whether she does or not; but those that do charge a lot for them.

You, being a physio, must deal with whiplash patients all the time through referral from these experts. IME, an "expert" will normally recommend 10 sessions at say £40 a time and say that recovery will take place in say 3, 6 or 12 months (or sometimes longer). It all adds up to the overall costs of the claim.

Contrary to what some have said above, it's not bks!

It's a small amount of truth extrapolated into bks. The experts are consultants (usually orthopaedics or trauma) who will do some private work as well as their NHS work, and they see the worst cases. So while they might do a day or two a week getting paid a few hundred a report (and paying for a room and their secretary out of that) it's not full time. (And they likely only do 46 weeks pa, natch )

[Nezquick]

Bill said:

Nezquick said:

As i've explained in my post just a bit higher up, this was crude man-maths but the simple fact is that these experts/GP's who are in the insurance PI business make huge sums of money. Maybe your missus doesn't do these reports; I don't know whether she does or not; but those that do charge a lot for them.

You, being a physio, must deal with whiplash patients all the time through referral from these experts. IME, an "expert" will normally recommend 10 sessions at say £40 a time and say that recovery will take place in say 3, 6 or 12 months (or sometimes longer). It all adds up to the overall costs of the claim.

Contrary to what some have said above, it's not bks!

It's a small amount of truth extrapolated into bks. The experts are consultants (usually orthopaedics or trauma) who will do some private work as well as their NHS work, and they see the worst cases. So while they might do a day or two a week getting paid a few hundred a report (and paying for a room and their secretary out of that) it's not full time. (And they likely only do 46 weeks pa, natch )

I know of one expert who doesn't even work 16 weeks of the year, never mind 46. He charges to make up for that though!

[Bill]

That's a day or two a week

[petrolsniffer]

CoolHands said:

sounds like most ph'ers on this thread could do with extra training. About 50% of you have 'just rolled into someone' recently.

Lol.. I've done it twice yes TWICE! I'm not proud of it pretty embarrassed actually.

I make no excuses I simply wasn't paying attention.

I've learnt the hard way my eyes stay firmly fixed in front until I'm at the front of the que...

[Fastdruid]

PanzerCommander said:

I quite agree on the hire car thing. I was told "unfortunately we can't give you a car that is the equivalent to yours", my response was "as long as its reliable, gets me to work and back I really don't care what it is" I had a Ford Focus for a couple of days last week whilst the exhaust was being made and have a Kia Cee'd Estate for a few this week whilst the rear bumper was being done. I'd have been happy with a 107 to be honest.

No hire company so far has had a car equivalent to mine. So far I've had a Diesel Galaxy, Diesel RAV4 and next is due to be a Micra.

I wouldn't mind too much but all I asked for was that it wasn't diesel and had room for two childrens car seats, I suppose they each got half of the requirements right...

[Fastdruid]

CoolHands said:

sounds like most ph'ers on this thread could do with extra training. About 50% of you have 'just rolled into someone' recently.

Get Mr Driving God who has never made a mistake.

petrolsniffer said:

Lol.. I've done it twice yes TWICE! I'm not proud of it pretty embarrassed actually.

I make no excuses I simply wasn't paying attention.

I've learnt the hard way my eyes stay firmly fixed in front until I'm at the front of the que...

It's a common mistake to make once... I've done it, T-junction turning left, car in front goes, all is clear in front of them, all is clear to the right, go and "oh f**k!, they've stopped dead halfway out of the junction. I have ever since always made certain that the way ahead is properly clear before moving and not making the assumption that the car ahead is going to keep going.

[Fastdruid]

I had one some years ago, the accident was totally my fault, I failed to spot a car lost in my A-pillar blind spot at a roundabout and hit them in the side.

Admittedly it did make a mess of their car (and thankfully no passenger)


Anyway what annoyed me was the claim for whiplash backed up with a statement and "case studies" going on about how "neck injuries could be caused from rear impacts, blah, blah, blah". I hit her in the side! There was no rear impact. No airbags went off etc. It was from my point of view a very gentle crash due to the relative motion, it just spun her round.

I told the insurance company I thought it was bogus but tbh didn't push it too hard.

[cb31]

That looks a pretty big impact though. About 25 years ago I had just passed my test and was reversing onto a road with an iced up rear screen, my mate was "guiding me out". I ended up reversing into a parked car at about 2-3mph slightly denting the drivers door, not enough to touch the door card. The bloke gets out all friendly but then I get a whiplash claim a couple of weeks later.

Absolute bks but this has been going on a long time, just maybe more these days.

[Fastdruid]

Which was why I didn't push it being bogus.

It was more that the justification for whiplash was a rear impact where there was none in this case annoyed me.

[delboy735]

I nudged a Bini at low speed...only damage to my car was a bent number plate...didn't even crack it. Bini was white, Rear bumper has a black trim at bottom of bumper....this has come away at one clip.
His claim.........£1856.
WTF. I could buy a brand new bumper prepainted for about £100.
I told my insurance that the payout was ridiculous.....their reply ?? Well, it was a sports car!!
Bini Cooper....a sports car....I don't think so.
Oh well, next time leave a 3 mile gap.....

[pork911]

Fastdruid said:

I had one some years ago, the accident was totally my fault, I failed to spot a car lost in my A-pillar blind spot at a roundabout and hit them in the side.

Admittedly it did make a mess of their car (and thankfully no passenger)


Anyway what annoyed me was the claim for whiplash backed up with a statement and "case studies" going on about how "neck injuries could be caused from rear impacts, blah, blah, blah". I hit her in the side! There was no rear impact. No airbags went off etc. It was from my point of view a very gentle crash due to the relative motion, it just spun her round.

I told the insurance company I thought it was bogus but tbh didn't push it too hard.

very gentle?

[k-ink]

Purity14 said:

My best one which I posted a few years ago, was a woman who knocked me off my bike, and my costs were 85 for a new wing mirror and some touch up paint, I didn't claim for injuries.

She denied liability against all evidence and it went 50/50.

Her car was a write off(my knee bent the inner wing of her car apparently) and she suffered injuries which rendered her having to be bathed by her parents as she was unable to wash herself.

There were pictures of her on her facebook; "Zorbing", scuba diving(including timestamped video), dancing on holiday in turkey, and rising rollercoasters only weeks after her accident. During which time her statement said she was immobile.

She got about 5k for injuries in the end according to her facebook, and £1500 for the car.
Ended up being £85 for me vs £6500 for her, then add the solicitor fees.

Insurance didn't pursue fraud because it wasn't in the best interests of the company.
As she had no assets, or any money to recover.

Edited by Purity14 on Wednesday 20th August 08:32

So basically insurance companies don't care if they get ripped off as they have so much money to burn. Amazing.

[Fastdruid]

pork911 said:

Fastdruid said:

I had one some years ago, the accident was totally my fault, I failed to spot a car lost in my A-pillar blind spot at a roundabout and hit them in the side.

Admittedly it did make a mess of their car (and thankfully no passenger)


Anyway what annoyed me was the claim for whiplash backed up with a statement and "case studies" going on about how "neck injuries could be caused from rear impacts, blah, blah, blah". I hit her in the side! There was no rear impact. No airbags went off etc. It was from my point of view a very gentle crash due to the relative motion, it just spun her round.

I told the insurance company I thought it was bogus but tbh didn't push it too hard.

very gentle?

Yes. It wasn't a sudden stop, although there was obviously an impact it wasn't enough to trigger the airbags (which would be from a google approximately a 14mph crash) etc. It pushed her car round rather than stopped dead.

It made rather more of a mess of her car than mine, I drove my car home, it needed a new bumper, wing and fog and headlight (and a new washer pump).

Edited by Fastdruid on Thursday 21st August 12:23

[btdk5]

pork911 said:

Fastdruid said:

I had one some years ago, the accident was totally my fault, I failed to spot a car lost in my A-pillar blind spot at a roundabout and hit them in the side.

Admittedly it did make a mess of their car (and thankfully no passenger)


Anyway what annoyed me was the claim for whiplash backed up with a statement and "case studies" going on about how "neck injuries could be caused from rear impacts, blah, blah, blah". I hit her in the side! There was no rear impact. No airbags went off etc. It was from my point of view a very gentle crash due to the relative motion, it just spun her round.

I told the insurance company I thought it was bogus but tbh didn't push it too hard.

very gentle?

Just a very gentle nudge that ended up spinning the car around.

[J4CKO]

I wonder how banger racers go on with whiplash ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe_DRcUR1CM

Ok, they usually have some sort of neck guard but you see the cars get utterly annihilated and they jump out seemingly none the worse for it, then come back next week for more.

Perhaps it shows what a nation of colossal wimps we have become, I blame that bloody Underdog.

[PanzerCommander]

J4CKO said:

I wonder how banger racers go on with whiplash ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe_DRcUR1CM

Ok, they usually have some sort of neck guard but you see the cars get utterly annihilated and they jump out seemingly none the worse for it, then come back next week for more.

Perhaps it shows what a nation of colossal wimps we have become, I blame that bloody Underdog.

This is the crux of the matter; no win, no fee. It has always (as far as I am aware) been possible to sue for damages following a collision, same as medical negligence and all the other no win, no fee firms that have appeared in recent times. However, the rise of the risk free claim process has meant that more people are able to do it. Because of this as other posters have said it appears to be a method of getting "free money" because whiplash doesn't show on scans or x-rays it’s impossible to disprove if a doctor says "you have whiplash" and signs a form to say that.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

C.A.R. said:

Being crashed into is actually a fantastic opportunity for a lot of people to make money.

I've found the perfect way to avoid bogus claims against me. I don't crash into anyone. I've being doing this for over 30 years and it really does work.

[McSam]

Fastdruid said:

pork911 said:

Fastdruid said:

I had one some years ago, the accident was totally my fault, I failed to spot a car lost in my A-pillar blind spot at a roundabout and hit them in the side.

Admittedly it did make a mess of their car (and thankfully no passenger)


Anyway what annoyed me was the claim for whiplash backed up with a statement and "case studies" going on about how "neck injuries could be caused from rear impacts, blah, blah, blah". I hit her in the side! There was no rear impact. No airbags went off etc. It was from my point of view a very gentle crash due to the relative motion, it just spun her round.

I told the insurance company I thought it was bogus but tbh didn't push it too hard.

very gentle?

Yes. It wasn't a sudden stop, although there was obviously an impact it wasn't enough to trigger the airbags (which would be from a google approximately a 14mph crash) etc. It pushed her car round rather than stopped dead.

You're oversimplifying the way airbag systems work. A vehicle with front airbags only is not likely to deploy them in anything but the most catastrophic of side impacts - what would be the point?

I'll grant that the impact was probably slightly less severe than it looks because even modern cars are not good at dealing with side impact, but you certainly can't use the airbags not deploying to "prove" it was too gentle to injure someone!