4 minute read
McCartan Turkington Breen has one of the busiest personal injury claims departments in all of Northern Ireland. We offer Road Traffic Accident Claims services to hundreds of people every year. One of the most common questions our personal injury solicitors get is, how much compensation could I get for whiplash? Although there isn’t a simple answer to that question, there is a guide in place to help solicitors, barristers, insurers and the courts make a valuation.
We get an idea of how much compensation our personal injury clients are entitled to by referring to the Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases in Northern Ireland from The Judicial Studies Board for Northern Ireland. Thankfully, this mouthful of a guide also goes by another title, The Green Book. The Green Book provides brackets of compensation for all injuries including soft tissue injuries such as whiplash.
Disclaimer: It’s important to remember that The Green Book is just a guide. There are lots of other factors that may come into play that might impact the level of compensation awarded. This depends on the unique set of circumstances of the client and how the injury was sustained.
Whiplash injuries are considered minor when there is a short recovery time. This period ranges from a few days to two years to fully recover.
Whiplash injuries are considered moderate when the period of recovery is fairly protracted and where there is an increased vulnerability to further trauma.
Whiplash injuries are severe when they may result in cervical spondylosis, serious limitation of movement, permanent or recurring pain, stiffness or discomfort, the potential need for further surgery or increased vulnerability to trauma.
The guide also only refers to general damages. This is the compensation that you’re entitled to for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries. You may also be entitled to special damages. These are designed to compensate you for things like your loss of earnings, damage to your property and missed opportunities.
McCartan Turkington Breen specialises in whiplash compensation claims. If you have suffered from whiplash in the past three years, contact us for a free no-commitment consultation or visit our page on Road Traffic Accident claims or Whiplash Claims.
If you would like to know more about whiplash, read our blog entitled a guide on whiplash.
If you would like to know more about what The Green Book says about levels of compensation, you can read about it at Judiciary NI.
