Rehabilitation In Personal Injury Claims

20th December 2013

If you make a claim for compensation with Clearwater Solicitors, you should be able to access all the rehabilitation you require to get your life back on track before your compensation claim reaches a conclusion.

The Rehabilitation Code was developed through collaboration with solicitors and the insurance sector. It aims to encourage early intervention and rehabilitation in personal injury claims to ensure that claimants recover from their injuries as quickly as possible.

The objectives of the code, which was designed to encourage all stakeholders to collaborate with each other for the benefit of the injured party, apply regardless of the severity of a claimant’s injuries – people who have sustained minor or moderate injuries may still benefit from rehabilitation.

If there is any question of liability, the Rehabilitation Code will still apply – the only circumstances in which it may not are those in which the defendant completely denies liability.

The importance of rehabilitation in personal injury claims

While the money claimants recover in personal injury claims is undoubtedly very important, the most vital thing for most claimants is for them to get their lives back on track. Rehabilitation is essential for this to happen in many cases, and if it is to be as effective as it can be, then it must occur at an early stage, which is as soon after the injury as possible.

Many people can have all the rehabilitation they require through the NHS, but some claimants require private treatment, and are unable to receive the rehabilitation they need in a prompt time through the NHS. If someone else is liable for a person’s injuries, then they should be obliged to fund any treatment the person requires, rather than the person themselves or the taxpayer. Our personal injury solicitors will do all they can ensure this is the case.

When personal injury claimants do not receive prompt rehabilitation

Unfortunately, it is not always possible for claimants to receive the rehabilitation they require in a prompt fashion. In some cases, insurers or defendants are not willing to admit fault in a personal injury claim, which prevents the claimant from affording rehabilitation. Although there are cases in which insurers or defendants hold no liability for a person’s injuries, in many cases, it is obvious that they are liable, and the only reason that liability is denied is because the defendant or insurer wishes to save money.

Although in the opinions of our personal injury solicitors it is immoral when liable parties deny liability and prevent someone deserving from accessing rehabilitation, it is also a false economy and could end up costing defendants and insurers far more money in the long-term. Rehabilitation can reduce the amount of long-term care an injured person will require, and can minimise the pain and suffering that a claimant experiences. This means that the amount of personal injury compensation people who were given prompt rehabilitation receive is less than they would have received had they not received the rehabilitation they needed. Prompt rehabilitation benefits both claimants and defendants – liable parties would be wise to remember this.