A lady who had been thrown from her horse as a result of a low fly-past from a military helicopter has successfully claimed over £60,000 from the Ministry of Defence. The MoD accepted liability for the accident, which resulted in serious injuries including a broken hip.
Initially the injured claimant had contacted the Ministry of Defence directly, and was happy to deal directly with them in relation to the accident. The MoD acted appropriately when they advised that she should seek independent professional legal advice in relation to the claim. Having done this the lady was pleasantly surprised by the value of the compensation award that her specialist personal injury lawyers were able to negotiate.
Her compensation solicitors sounded a warning note to other potential claimants. They fear that some accident victims do not receive the compensation they deserve, as insurers try to negotiate low offers without legal advice:
“Although the MoD behaved impeccably, it is becoming quite common nowadays for some insurance companies, particularly in road traffic accident cases, to try to settle privately with the injured party, sometimes by means of a “pre-medical report offer”. This is dangerous, as once an offer is accepted it is usually impossible to go back and reopen the claim. The only way to ensure that an offer made is fair and just, in the circumstances, is to seek expert legal advice.”
