Member Article

Specialist says Insurance Companies are 'Guilt-Tripping' Claimants

A North East specialist in Personal Injury Law has warned Insurance Companies are making every effort to discourage genuine claimants from seeking rightful compensation – by making them feel guilty for their claim.

Mark Ellis’s comments follow a report by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) stating that liability insurance fraud leapt by 75% in 2014, and that Insurers are working with the police to prove claims are fraudulent wherever possible.

Mark, a partner and Personal Injury specialist with Tilly Bailey & Irvine Solicitors, said: “The problem comes when genuine claimants, those who have suffered often physically or financially as the result of an accident that was not their fault, are made to feel guilty for seeking compensation.

“We all know there are those who are trying to make money out of the system, and it is right that these claimants should be caught. However, it is not fair to assume each claim is fraudulent until it is proven to be genuine. Claimants are often suffering enough following an accident, they do not need Insurance Companies to make them feel guilty for claiming.”

The ABI report, details of which were published on Monday July 13th, state that insurers exposed £3.6 million worth of insurance frauds each day in 2014, with a 75 per cent rise in fraudulent liability claims, and a 12 per cent rise in fraudulent motor insurance claims. The ABI drew particular attention to fraudulent ‘slip and trip’ claims, revealing how CCTV and YouTube films were used in court to catch fraudsters.

Mark concluded: “For anyone who has a genuine claim, this assumption that they are trying to make money rather than seek justified compensation is a dangerous approach. We can only recommend that claimants ensure they have appropriate legal representation, from a specialist in the Personal Injury field, someone who will serve the insurance companies with the facts of the incident and work to secure both compensation and responsibility from the perpetrator.”

Tilly Bailey & Irvine Solicitors is the Tees Valley’s largest full service law firm with offices in Wynyard Park, Stockton on Tees, Hartlepool and Barnard Castle. It has a multi-disciplinary business law team, based at Wynyard Park, offering expertise in fields including commercial property, mergers, acquisitions and disposals, intellectual property, employment law and dispute resolution. For further advice, contact Tilly Bailey & Irvine Solicitors on 01740 646000.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tilly Bailey and Irvine Solictors .