Winning an accident claim is one of the best feelings in the world. A huge weight will have been lifted off your shoulders, and finally, you will be able to focus on recovering and returning to your everyday life. It goes without saying too that your family will benefit from the claims process ending; they will be happy for you and financial stresses will be gone. But what happens after you win an accident claim, do you have to do anything else?
Once your case has been settled, your solicitor will contact you to tell you the good news by phone, or any other contact method you specify. In the meantime, the other side, the party who lost the claim, will follow your solicitor’s demands to release payment. Usually, this payment will be sent to your solicitor’s law firm – most of the time this is within just a few days of case settlement – to guarantee its arrival. Your solicitor will then deduct their fees from your payout, and then your compensation will be provided to you by cheque or BACS.
Sometimes, however, the process is a little different. Depending on your solicitor’s demands, their fees may simply be paid by the other side separately. In this case, your solicitor won’t deduct anything from your winnings and they will be forwarded on to you directly. It’s also important to note that although most solicitors contact their clients to tell them the good news, some don’t. Some simply forward a cheque as proof of success.
Upon receipt of compensation, your and your solicitor’s business is done. It is unlikely you will be contacted by your solicitor again unless they have taken a personal interest in your case in which case they may want to see if you are recovering well. This is a nice extra touch, and it’s something most helplines for accident compensation have seen.
After you have received your compensation, what you do with it is up to you. Your pay-out will be comprised of ‘general damages’ and ‘special damages’, so the figure you receive should be relatively sizeable and cover all costs related to your accident.
Many people simply bank their winnings and pay off debts incurred during the claims process, however some choose to take a family holiday to celebrate or treat themselves. Remember, this is your money so you can do what you like with it. However, if you are in financial difficulty, then you should seek financial advice. There are Government-backed services offering this for free, such as the Money Advice Service. Above all else, you should take this time to enjoy yourself, though. After all, you won!
