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Claiming for a Car Accident or injury? It doesn’t get much easier than this.

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020 3834 3268
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hastings claims Direct with the Third party

After a road traffic accident Hastings Claims can provide valuable assistance in several ways to help individuals seek compensation and navigate the claims process effectively. Here are some ways in which Hastings Claims can help after a road traffic accident:

  1. ⁠Initial Assessment: Hastings Claims can offer a free initial consultation to assess the details of the accident and advise on the viability of making a claim.
  2. Claim Handling: Hastings Claims can manage the entire claims process on behalf of the individual, including gathering evidence, completing paperwork, and handling communication with insurance companies and other relevant parties.
  1. ⁠Legal Support: Hastings Claims can provide access to legal expertise either in-house or through partnerships with solicitors to guide the individual through the legal aspects of the claim.
  2. Medical Assistance: Hastings Claims can arrange medical assessments and treatment for the individual to assess their injuries, document the extent of the harm, and facilitate their recovery process.
  3. ⁠Negotiation: Hastings Claims are experienced in negotiating with insurance companies to ensure that the individual receives fair compensation for their injuries, losses, and other damages resulting from the accident.
  4. ⁠Financial Reimbursement: Hastings Claims can help the individual recover costs related to medical bills, vehicle repairs, loss of earnings, and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred due to the accident.
  5. Recovery of damaged Vehicle: Hastings Claims helps you to recover your damaged vehicle without incurring any charges. We can then either deliver the vehicle to your home address, Repair or body shop or we can put it in our own Storage for the Third party assessor to examine the damage.
  6. Repair of the Vehicle: Hastings Claims has a long list of insurance approved garages throughout the country. Our body shops are fully accredited and their repair work is approved by all insurance companies. This also helps you to maintain your warranty on the vehicle.
  7. Hire Vehicle: Hastings Claims can arrange for a like for like vehicle to be delivered within hours of you having an accident. Insurance companies take a lot of time to even answer their phones let alone getting your back on the road. Hastings Claims will take your initial instructions and then get you a brand new vehicle within a few hours.
  8. ⁠ ⁠Regular Updates: Hastings Claims can provide regular updates on the progress of the claim and answer any questions the individual may have throughout the process.

By utilizing the services of a Hastings Claims, individuals involved in road traffic accidents can benefit from expert guidance, support, and representation to pursue a compensation claim efficiently and maximize their chances of receiving fair compensation for their losses.

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About us

Hastings Claims

Here at the Hastings Claims Helpline, we provide a comprehensive accident claims management service. Claims Department Hastings can be busy at times so we can process your non-fault accident claim in a prompt way. From the first Report Car Accident, through to claim settlement you can trust us to provide you RoadSide Recovery, Accident Damage Repair, Injury Compensation, and Free Courtesy Car resulting in measurable benefits and outstanding customer service.

Working with our extensive Network of Repair Centre and the different solicitors across the UK, our panel has expertise in all fields from personal injury claims to credit hire. Our specialist team brings years of expertise in driving our approach to finding your best results. At Accident Claims Helpline we ensure our team and partners are best in class, combining substantiated industry knowledge with the most effective experience.

What to do after a Hastings Claims Direct Road traffic accident?

  1. First of all Stop the car and try to find a safe area nearby
    • The law requires you to stop your car and not flee the scene of the accident. Sometimes it can be dangerous to stop immediately because of the road, weather or traffic conditions. If it is unsafe then try to find the nearest safe stopping place. If you are at a motorway then stop at the hard shoulder or if you are on a city or town road then a side street away from lots of traffic can be ideal.
  1. Check if you or any passengers are injured, call an ambulance if required
    • If it was a bad car accident, someone might be injured. Check yourself for injuries and then also check on your passengers, if you find anyone with mild to severe injuries it's always the best practice to call for an ambulance.
  2. Emergency services like Fire brigade, police and ambulance should be called
    • Fire Brigade services should be called if your or the Third party’s car is on fire. Sometimes they have to be called upon if someone is trapped inside a vehicle or the vehicles are blocking the road. Ambulance services should be called in case there is injury to the occupants of any cars or pedestrians involved in the accident. The Number for Emergency services are 999 and 112, you can call any of these numbers.
  3. Exchange details with the Third party involved
    • By law (section 170 of Road Traffic Act 1988) you need to exchange your details with the Third Party. The details you need to exchange are, your Car Reg, Your Name and Address, your phone number and if known to you then also your insurance details. So that all information is correctly captured you can ask to see the Driving license of the Third Party and take a photo of it to confirm Name and address. Take photos of vehicle damage and try to make videos too as this can help Hastings Claims Direct and Third-party insurance to identify liability.
  4. Gather information on the incident
    • Hastings Claims Direct and other insurance companies use information you give them and they gather about the accident, to determine who is at fault for the incident. Try to collect all the information you could about the accident. This includes but is not limited to taking photographs, taking vehicle registration numbers, names and contact details of all individuals involved in the accident, taking notes about the location of incident, weather conditions, road conditions, date and time of incident. Try speaking to any witnesses and take their names and numbers. They can later corroborate your story and it is considered as strong evidence to prove fault.
  5. Contact Hastings Claims Direct Number
    • You should contact Hastings Claims Direct Number and give all the details of the incident. If you are not at fault for the accident you can choose your own repair network and can get your own hire or replacement car. We will arrange all of that for you completely free of cost. We will make sure that your no claim bonus stays unimpacted, you don't have to pay any excess and your car is repaired from an authorized garage.

Roadside Car Recovery Hastings Claim insurance

If you have fully comprehensive insurance with Hastings Claim then your insurance company is liable for paying recovery fees. You can either arrange it yourself by contacting the RAC OR AA or GREENFLAG, or by contacting the POLICE, or a Recovery firm if you know one.

Irrespective as to what action you take the insurance company will reimburse or pay these fees.

You are responsible for the recovery fee for storage from this point up to telling the Hastings Claims Direct. So, if you leave the car in storage for 3 weeks and then contact your insurer, you are responsible for these charges.

What we would advise, if you want to use your own repairer, get your car recovered directly to their premises if you can, rather than going to the recovery agent's yard.

If you have the space and it is off the road, your own home address may be the best place for the vehicle, you are now in control of the claim process.

If you are only insured THIRD PARTY FIRE AND THEFT, you are generally responsible for the recovery charges of your vehicle unless it is someone else’s fault or it says differently in your policy.

BE AWARE! The POLICE have something called “statutory instruments” which they use to arrange the recovery of vehicles through police contractors. These are done at set rates agreed under the above “statutory instruments” and are not cheap.

If the police move your vehicle, you do need to advise Hastings Claims Direct, within 48hrs, but it is up to you where it gets moved to!

Our advice is that if you can arrange your own recovery do so, rather than allow the police to do it.

Dealing with Hastings Claims Direct after an accident

All car accidents should be reported to your insurance company, regardless of how minor or small they might be.

What accident information is required by Hastings Claims Direct?

The information we discussed in step 4 above i.e. Names, addresses, vehicle registrations, any photos, eye witness name and contact numbers, CCTV and dashcam footage. All this will help Hastings Claims Direct to establish liability. In case if the Third-party Insurance company disputes liability or claims it to be 50-50 then Hastings Claims Direct will have strong evidence to win the liability in your favour.

When should you contact Hastings Claims Direct after an accident?

While there are no legal requirements to report an accident to your insurer, it may affect your ability to make subsequent claims. You should contact Hastings Claims Direct to inform them about your car accident immediately or as soon as it is safe and practical to do so.

How long after a car crash can I make a claim for repair?

If your car is damaged after an accident and you need to make a claim on your insurance to repair it, you can ultimately choose when you wish to make a claim. For a non-fault accident you can use a third-party insurer to cover the costs of your car repairs so there’s no expense to repairing your car immediately.

Repairing your vehicle after being hit by Hastings Claims Direct client

Having to repair your vehicle after a road accident can be timely, costly, and frustrating but the good thing is our claims team is here. Give us a call if you have had a non fault accident and we will get you a replacement car out within 24 hours and will also get your car repaired through the garage of your choice. You have a few options to repair your car after an accident as discussed below:

Going through your own insurance for vehicle repairs

Insurance companies will try to get you to use their ‘approved repairers’ network. Approved repairers are in partnership with the insurance companies to provide their clients cheap and fast repairs. This is good for the insurance companies as they can

get the repairs done for a fraction of the cost but it may not always be in the best interest of the policy holder. Using your own insurance company can mean that you would have to pay excess to use their services.

This also means that to get an update on your repair status you need to call the insurance company again and again. The wait times on such calls can be hours. We offer our clients bespoke repair solutions and we answer your call in less than 1 minute.

Choosing your own repair network

We strongly recommend that you go with this option and send your vehicle to a repair network of your choice. Legislation introduced in 2010 deemed it unfair that insurance companies could dictate to customers who should repair their car. Since then, insurers are not able to force you to use their approved repairers and must still pay-out if you choose your own repairer.

Choosing your own repairer gives you a much wider choice of garages and you have much more control over who repairs your vehicle. Approved repairers typically work in the best interests of the insurance company and may be pressured to repair your vehicle quickly and cheaply, using non-original parts that could invalidate your warranty.

What should you be looking for when choosing a garage for accident repairs?

  • Fair and transparent pricing
  • Manufacturer-approved repairer if your car is under warranty
  • Use OE (original equipment) specification parts
  • Guaranteed repairs back to pre-accident condition
  • Valid guarantee offered on all repairs

Firstly, fair and transparent pricing is important when handling insurance claims. You need to be able to trust that the quoted price provided by the repairer is honored and that there are not additional fees charged or any extra work undertaken that wasn’t agreed upon.

About Manufacturer-approved Repairers

If your vehicle is under any form of manufacturer warranty, you are likely to require a manufacturer-approved repair service in order to maintain the validity of the warranty. A ‘manufacturer-approved repairer’ will be a garage that has been approved by a car manufacturer to repair their vehicles to meet factory-standards. This is typically achieved once the manufacturer has reviewed the equipment at the garage, provided training on how to fix their cars, and supplied parts.

Going through Hastings Claims Direct for Repairs

If you’re not at fault for the accident, you will be able to make a non-fault claim as long as your insurer is able to recover the cost from the third-party. In these cases, you will not have to claim on your insurance and your no-claims bonus will be protected.

What to do if you’re injured in a road accident Hastings Claims Direct Insurance?

As a Hastings Claims Direct customer, If you find yourself injured in a road traffic accident then do not try to move too much from your seat at first. Assess your condition to see if you are able to move your neck, head, back, lift your hands and legs etc. Also look for any bleeding in the body. In case of injury, call the Ambulance and other emergency services as soon as possible. There are incidents where the emergency services have to cut open the vehicle doors to get the injured persons out so if you are in a condition to move then try to move out of the vehicle yourself. Stay in a safe and secure place away from the traffic. You should always try to help yourself before helping others in such situations. IF you are a non fault driver or passenger who has been injured in a Road traffic accident then you are eligible to get compensation for the injury or discomfort.

We have devised a comprehensive guide about what to do if you are injured and how to claim injury compensation.

Hastings Claims Direct Guide – How To Claim Compensation For Injury

After an accident you can experience Whiplash which is the most common injury type. Whiplash is actually a term used for soft tissue damage that occurs during a vehicle accident or a vehicle accident when hit from behind generally by another car. The quick acceleration, i.e. going for a low speed or stop position causes the head to jerk forward, and then brutally backward, causing whiplash. We make this guide for making Hastings Claims Direct Whiplash claim in the UK and it will provide you with all the advice and information you need to approach your own claim from a position of understanding.

What Are The Symptoms Of Whiplash Injuries?

Whiplash is an injury to your tendons, muscles, or other soft tissues of your neck. It is caused by a vigorous and sudden movement of the head in one direction, then back again quickly, most generally during a car accident.

Pain from a whiplash injury starts 6 to 12 hours after the injury. You may feel pain on the day of the accident or injury and find that your pain, swelling and bruising increase over the following days.

General symptoms of whiplash include:

  • Difficulty moving your neck
  • Neck issues: stiffness, pain, tenderness or swelling
  • Headaches, problem concentrating
  • Muscle weakness or spasms
  • Pins and needles, pain or numbness in your hands and arms or shoulders
  • Vertigo, dizziness, or tinnitus (ringing in your ears)
  • Blurred vision or difficulties swallowing
Could I claim for a whiplash injury from Hastings Claims Direct insurance?

The moment you think you might have a whiplash injury from a vehicle accident, you should get medical treatment. Bear in mind that whiplash injuries, like cervical strains, don’t forever present themselves immediately after an accident. There are many reasons why the sooner you get treatment, the better.

First, it may be simple to treat the whiplash. If there is soft tissue damage, not taking the right precautions could worsen the pain. Second, it will be easier to file a claim with an insurance firm later on. The longer you wait to seek medical help for a vehicle accident injury, the more likely an insurance firm will assume that the injuries you are claiming are not as extreme as you say they are.

What an Hastings Claims Direct insurance company may not want you to know

When you are trying to get a vehicle insurance payout for whiplash, there are lots of things you can perform that could help increase the amount of compensation you get. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said the amount a claimant gets in can be increased:

  • Always reject the first offer of settlement that the defendant comes out with.
  • Consult with injury and accident solicitor to represent them in their claim
  • Makes the correct choice over whether to admit a pre-medical settlement offer from the insurance firm

If you need some best suggestions about how to increase the level of compensation you are offered, reach out to our claims team today. They can help you to make the best decisions.

Whiplash claims under Split liability agreements

The term split liability refers to an agreement in which 2 or more parties share the blame for an accident. These kinds of claims are also referred to as 50/50 claims, reflecting the ratio of the equal accountability that is typically divided between 2 claimants.

Other general split liability proportions are:

  • 75/25 split in your favor – you will get 75 percent of the full value of your claim from the other party’s insurance firm as you admitted 25 percent liability
  • 25/75 split in other party’s favor – as you have accepted that you were mostly liable for the accident, you will only get twenty-five percent of the full value of your claim from the other party’s insurance

If you accept split liability, you and the other driver would proceed with the process of claims under the agreement that you were both partially to blame.

Should you take the first settlement offered by Hastings Claims Direct?

If you have suffered trauma or injured as a result of your car accident you may be feeling vulnerable. If you are contacted by Hastings Claims Direct and offered a settlement for your whiplash claim, you should bear in mind that:

  • You don’t have to accept any offer from Hastings Claims Direct. If you do accept the offer it might be very low than the compensation you would have got if you would used a solicitor or gone to court instead
  • Don’t feel any pressure to make a decision immediately. You have up to 3 years from when the accident happened to make a claim for compensation.
  • If a Hastings Claims Direct offers you payment or asks you to sign something, ensure you know what it is for
  • If you have been hurt, get a complete medical assessment, to verify any injuries you have got and the likely impact on your life.
  • You need to understand the injuries' nature, how serious they are, and whether they will have a long-term impact on your life before you can judge whether any offer is fair.

If you need to speak to somebody to get some legal suggestions about whether you accept a primary settlement offer or not, our claims team can help.

Should I take a pre-medical offer from Hastings Claims Direct?

Pre-medical offers are proposals to pay compensation before the wounded person has been seen by a medical professional. The objective of a pre-medical offer is to encourage early settlement of the claim. The insurer gets the claim off their books for a fixed amount; the wounded person gets compensation immediately without a medical examination.

Sounds too good but pre-medical offer could be an expensive mistake.

You never know how serious a problem is or what the prognosis will be until you have a medical report. You just get one shot at settling a compensation claim and if you accept a premedical offer and then find out that your injury does not resolve as immediately as you thought, then you cannot claim compensation a second time.

A pre-med offer does not take into consideration the complete value of the claim, such as:

  • The length of recuperation period
  • The injuries depth
  • The level of pain and suffering period
  • And, long-term disabilities

And another downside of accepting this offer is that:

  • Travel expenses
  • Loss of earnings
  • Care costs
  • Private medical expenses

If you choose to reject a pre-medical offer but would still like to seek compensation for your injuries, you should contact a personal injury law firm for legal advice.

Will I get other types of compensation as part of a whiplash claim?

This list could be wide and is dependent on the details of your specific case, but key examples are:

Missed workdays: if you missed days at work, you may be compensated for the money you would have earned. If some type of disability happens from the accident, you may have a disability claim that can be filed for loss of earning capability, possibly for the rest of your life.

Out of pocket expenses

Quick expenses that you may have to pay, when your health is serious, time is a factor, and you can be compensated for most of the cash you need to spend initially.

Medical expenses

We all know that any hospital visit, medical treatment, and physical therapy can result in big costs to you and your family. Whether you have health insurance or not, many of these expenses have very high costs, or not be covered at all. You and your family’s future may be dependent on your settlement.

If you need lifelong treatment, physical therapy, etc, the costs will go high and you must be provided with the funds required to continue these treatments, as well as continue to provide income for you and your family to sufficiently live on.

The amount of compensation could include the following:

  • Treatment expenses
  • Prescription costs
  • Vehicle repair costs
  • Loss of earnings
  • Hospital parking expenses
  • The cost of adopting your accommodation
  • Childcare expenses
  • Travel costs
No win, no fee claims against Hastings Claims Direct Insurance

A No Win, No fee claim provides you the financial confidence and security to pursue justice. Under this kind of agreement, you would not be asked by the solicitor to pay any type of new claims fee. You also would not be expected to pay continued fees, even if it takes many months to reach a right settlement. If the claim fails, and you don’t get any compensation at all, then you don’t pay anything. If you win you pay a percentage of the compensation as solicitors fee.

Faqs

Accident FAQs

A minor accident means that the accident should have happened at a low speed and has caused very less damage or injury to anyone that has been involved. Having a low-speed crash does not mean that you do not have to report it to anyone or not get your car assessed for damages by specialists. Even in the event of a low impact accident please do follow the above outlined 6 steps to be on the safe side. Sometimes these minor accidents do not cause any apparent injury or damage at the time of the incident but can cause internal damage to the vehicle which becomes visible after a day or two of driving.

If you have had an accident with another vehicle and they failed to stop, you should report it to the police as it's a crime to flee the scene of the accident without exchanging details. Before you call the police please make sure that you are at a safe place, are not blocking any traffic, check for injured persons if any, you should collect all information about the incident along with witness details. Call the police with all of the information you have collected and they should then give you a crime reference number.

You can check if a car is insured by calling your insurance provider or using the Motor Insurance Database’s (MID) ou askMID online service by paying £10. If the other party comes to be uninsured, call the police on 101 and get a Crime reference number. Now you have two options depending on your own insurance cover

  • If you have fully comprehensive car insurance. The claims process will be trickier though as your provider won’t be able to recover costs from the other side.
  • ‘Third party’ or ‘third party fire and theft’ policy holders won’t be able to make a claim but can apply for compensation through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB).

You can register for an account with the bureau to complete an application online.

The above 6 steps guide gives you extensive information about what needs to be done in case of a non fault accident. All the 6 steps should be followed and if the Third Party is aggressive or abusive to you or they engage in a fight or road rage you should call the police immediately. I should insist here once again that all information about the incident should be collected and recorded appropriately.

In the event of a fault accident you should keep calm and go on to collect all the information about the incident and make sure everybody is safe. Call the emergency services if need be. As a Hastings Claims Direct customer you should not admit any kind of fault at the scene of an accident which also means to not apologize for the situation. Apology at the scene of an accident can be used against you, as if witnesses have seen you apologizing they will tell the insurance company that you have apologized and thus admitted the fault for the accident. If you are blamed for the accident by the third party you need to simply say “No I did not cause the accident”.

If you are witness to a car accident in the UK you must always stop and remain at the scene of the accident. Whether you are a witness from another vehicle or as a pedestrian or cyclist bystanders, you must cooperate as an eye witness. First and foremost make sure that those involved are OK and are not injured. Call the emergency services if they are needed.

Insurance for a courtesy car is typically provided by the company providing the vehicle or your insurance company may provide cover for driving a replacement vehicle in your policy. If you crash a courtesy car, you’re likely to be covered in the same way as any other vehicle you drive, which means if the crash is your fault you’ll be required to pay the excess and if you’re not at fault you’ll be able to claim on a third-party insurance.

Car repair times vary depending on the state of the vehicle. The availability of parts, vehicle transportation and the specialism of the repair can all length repair times. Once your vehicle has been assessed, your repairer should be able to accurately predict how long it will take to be repaired.

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