How Off-court Settlements Monopolize Reconciliations Among Claimants

If you were to ask me how No Win No Fee UK claims could be settled quickly and amicably, then I would answer what I have been advocating ever since I settled my own work accident claim five years ago: talk outside the courts.

There are many reasons why this works. But first, let me talk about why I think on-court solutions, hardly, if ever work.

For one thing, once you involve the courts in your accident claim, the probable effect is that the claiming process becomes more serious, and with that, more difficult to unravel. The normal psychological effect of involving the courts among claimants and defendants is that they come to think of the claiming process no longer as a dispute that can be finished without hassle or drama, but a grand object which must be relentlessly pursued without compromise. It seems as if they think that once inside the courts, they must give Lady Justice herself a good show. The stakes, as they see it, are now weightier than before. Dignity, not just money, they feel, has now become the prize.

This is pathetic. If there is anything which the courts add to solving No Win No Fee UK claims, it’s either confusion or rage. Claiming your compensation is just as serious and just as valid when done outside the courts. Only superficial people whose minds are devoid of philosophy and think that specific locations hold a monopoly over specific kinds of virtue, will accept the argument that justice becomes more just in the house of a judge and less just outside of it. It’s senseless.

Another thing why on-court disputes rarely satisfy both parties is the tedium they involve. Courts are boring places, to be frank. If you want to spend countless hours listening to the drumming voice of a humorless judge articulating words and words of legal jargon than to simply talk to the person who injured you and ask for the proper amount of compensation, then it’s your choice. I would rather that I received my compensation early, even if it was less than the amount I should have received had I processed my claim with the help of the courts, if only I could be spared the boring tedium which is the hallmark of our judiciary.

Tick Tack Tick Tack

Tick, tack, tick, tack – so goes the hand of the clock.

Time is so precious to all occupations. Every minute counts. Deadlines, reports, meeting, a gigantic work, heavy lifting and all sorts of tasks. More energy, more strength, more time are required to finish these. This is how you describe the busy life of working people from different industries. They are busy as a bee. The long hours of working seems to be too short to beat the deadline.

An office worker rushes to his car after sipping a cup of coffee. Drives his car and off to work. While his hands are on the wheel, his mind is wondering on how to finish his report. He finds his way to the parking lot. All of a sudden, some boxes from the top of a truck fell on his head then to his shoulders and back.

A retail staff arranges the stocks on top of the shelf using an improvised ladder. Suddenly he tumbled on the ground and sustains minor fracture.

The team of kitchen staff and waiters are rushing to and fro to serve a crowd of customers flocking their restaurant on a busy Monday lunch. Spills of liquid and food tainted the floor. The wet and greasy floor was not clean up that’s why a waiter slipped on it.

An ordinary day for a regular worker became an odd day when he tripped on a cluttered wire and cable and breaks his ankle. Temporarily, he cannot walk the normal way.

A construction worker fell on top of a scaffold. He got some fractures on his arms and leg. It turned out that the person who built the scaffold is not trained that’s why it collapsed.

The protective clothing of a man working in the manufacturing company is not well-maintained. The worn-out suit was not sufficient to stand the effect of a harmful chemical. That man is suffering due to the dangerous chemical.

An accident at work is painful and not comfy. It rubs the time and delays the work. Sometimes it occurs when people are so busy and rushing into something. The lesson is to keep things organized, follow the rules and be careful all the time so that no one will get hurt.

Demanding Compensation Patiently

If there is one thing that I learned from my whole experience in demanding my work accident compensation, it is that good things cannot be had on short notice. Rather, they must be worked for, must be planned for, and most important, must be waited for.

Before my injurious accident, I was one of those who did things quickly, whatever it may be. Whether it was my laundry or my work or feeding my children or even having dinner with my husband, I always ensured that things got done quickly because that is how things should be done.

This is in no way an admission that I am hasty. I always study whatever it is that I want to do and then do it as quickly as possible. I don’t know, but maybe I got this attitude from watching too many military-themed movies. I’m a big fan too of military history. I think Bonaparte and Hitler, though they may have set wrong ends to pursue, were nevertheless blessed with formidable generals who knew that to strike means to strike quickly and without warning.

You could imagine my annoyance when my lawyer told me that days, sometimes even weeks, could be the intervals in the claiming process. For example, after sending a letter of accusation, we had to wait for a week for the reply. After that, we had to wait another week for a meeting with the defendant. Since my boss did not want to settle outside the courts, we had to bring our dispute to a judge’s attention and that required waiting for a month. And I won’t even mention the number of months the hearings lasted. Except maybe to point out that they too, were expectedly, far from each other. In other words, more waiting.

So I had to learn how to wait. My work accident compensation being no trifling figure, I thought that having started the claiming process, I may as well end it. And it did end and in my favor at that. Had it not, then I would have strangled my lawyer for making me undergo such a waiting process. That’s just not how things are supposed to be done.

Accidents at work: It’s temporary!

Accidents at work can be so shocking and most of all painful.

It shocking because in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life, an injury prevents you from working, limits your movement, robs you of enjoying a social life and give you pain here and there. To add problems to that, financial burden weighs you down. Bills and expenses are piling up almost reaching the ceiling but oh no! not as high as the tree. Oh please! Bills keep coming, expenses keeps rolling and pocket is getting empty. Payment for hospitals bills, medical costs, treatments fees, travel expenses, additional expenses and other miscellaneous expenses that arise from time to time.

Going back to and from the hospital is not easy especially when it’s hard to hop into the car. Looking at yourself injured and helpless is unimaginable. Taking medicines which are bitter to taste gets bitter knowing that it’s quite expensive! Treatment gives hope. Thanks to the people who buy the groceries, run errands and takes care of all the chores at home. Such a big help!

Good thing the technology can be reliable. Just a click away you can talk to your loved ones and entertains you while you can’t leave the house. Mobile phones, Internet and movies, books and music entertain you everyday.

The excruciating pain plus the emotional distress seems hard to bear. Sometimes anxieties worry depression and fear comes because of the problems that seem so big. But thank God for the support of family, friends and relatives who encourages and give hope. Soon this ordeal will be over. Pain will walk away and the bills will be paid. Trying to think positively and excited to get back to work. The pain and suffering is temporary. There is hope and a light at the end of the tunnel.

Someday you will look back and smile after going through the hard times. Learn from the experience in the past. Stay positive and keep happy heart so that time and pain won’t rob you of the good things in life. Hang on it’s temporary.