Claiming injury compensation from companies who have ceased trading or are in administration

82 questions have been answered on this subject, why not ask your own?

In most compensation claims following an accident at work, a solicitor knows who to address the claim to as the company will still be in business and operating at the same place. However, if a claim is delayed it can lead to problems. If you left a company after an accident at work and didn’t pursue your claim for months, the company could have moved premises or even ceased trading.

Whilst you can still pursue a claim against a company which has moved, it means that your solicitor will have to waste time tracking them down. This may seem easy, but it’s not always a simple process. For companies that have ceased trading or gone in to liquidation, it can be even harder, but there is still an opportunity to pursue your claim for personal injury compensation.

Claiming from companies in administration

If you were injured working for an employer that was already or now is in the process of an official administration at the hands of an appointed administrator, it is likely that a claim can still be made. Whilst the right to claim remains, the prospects of success are likely to be smaller than otherwise for reasons that I will explain.

If we consider claiming compensation for an injury after an accident at work from a company in administration, it will still be possible for your solicitor to liaise with the administrators who become the defacto 3rd party. The likely outcome of any claim being made against the employer will depend on whether the administrator can confirm that the employer had complied with their responsibilities to hold valid employee liability insurance and if so, what level of excess stands on the policy.

If insurance was in place before the company went in to administration and the costs of the insurance had been paid, the policy would remain effective and a claim could still stand.  However, the excess cost would then become an issue.  With employee liability insurance, it is common for excess amounts to range from £1000 right up to 5-figure sums.  With this in mind, if an administrator confirms a high excess, it could mean that the amount of money the excess forms would be higher than the value of the claim that you may make. As the administrator will not be able to pay the excess for any claim to be made, the claimant can opt to sacrifice the excess from their claim value and then retain the balance.

This can work fine if the value of a claim substantially outweighs the excess amount.  For example, if you had a claim that had a value of £10,000 in compensation, but the excess was only £1000, it would still be worth claiming as you would then stand to receive £9,000 before your legal costs were deducted, leaving you with £6,750 in settlement.  Whilst this may seem unfair (and it is!) it is better than having nothing.

However, if your claim settlement was worth £1,000 and the excess was also £1,000 it would not be worth pursuing the claim, unless you really wanted to prove a point. It is also unlikely that a solicitor would continue to pursue the claim on a conditional fee agreement basis.

Claiming from companies who have ceased trading

If you make an injury claim against a company who have ceased trading, it may still be worth it.  However, it is important to be honest and realise that it is not likely to be a simple process or a speedy one, and that finding a solicitor to pursue the claim on a conditional fee basis could prove very difficult.

Companies who no longer trade have no active staff, therefore requests for information will not be answered and therefore finding out who their insurers were and whether they had cover may be impossible.  Most companies are limited companies and this means that if the company is closed, you cannot claim against the business owners or directors as they are not personally responsible for the losses or costs of a business.

What to do if you want to claim

If you believe that the company that you wish to pursue a claim for personal injury compensation against has gone in to administration or no longer trades you obviously won’t know where you stand until you get some specialist help.  Why not contact us and let us do some investigations for you.  We’ll be able to find a solicitor willing to look in to the claim and they can then evaluate the likely outcome should any claim be made.  Remember, it costs you nothing to look in to claiming or making a claim for personal injury compensation. There is nothing to pay if the claim doesn’t succeed, so you have nothing to lose.

82 questions have been answered on this subject, why not ask your own?

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    Questions

    Read on for questions and advice about claiming...

    I had a bad accident at work in March 2022. This week the company is going into administration. Would I still be eligible to make a claim? I have proof that the job changed to stating that all people doing that job must wear certain ppi to avoid injury.

    Ian Morris

    The company going in to administration does not prevent you from pursuing a claim for personal injury compensation against the business. The business should have had insurance in place at the time of your accident and that policy can be used to pursue your claim – our Solicitors can investigate this for you and assist on a No Win No Fee basis. The only negative that can happen as a result of a company going in to administration in terms of personal injury compensation and settlement of the same may be their ability to pay any excess on their policy. In some situations this may be waived and in others, a claimant may have to agree to pay the excess from their settlement in order to obtain at least something as a positive outcome.

    If you would like us to investigate this matter for you and assist with a No Win No Fee claim, please call us on 01225430285 or request a call from us via our website. As your accident happened in March 2022, it is important to start the claims process as soon as possible – especially given the administration issue – in order to ensure that your claim has the best prospects of succeeding.

    Reply

    Following on from my previous query, the person who fell had been told twice if not more times, how and where to stand on the roof and where not to. Statements were taken at the time which confirmed this from other workers on the site. We have also been advised that the person who fell has asked other workers to lie, to support his claim in their statements which had been taken at the time of the incident.

    Ian Morris

    Should any claim documentation arrive with you/Your Husband, you should reference these comments to the claimant Solicitor. If a claimant is shown to have acted fraudulently or if they are ‘wilfully dishonest’, the claimant faces criminal action and the very real prospect of having to pay their own legal costs and those of the defendant.

    Reply

    An accident happened at my husband work a couple of month ago, he is a self employed roofer who was completing works on behalf of a contractor. One of the lads who worked for my husband fell from the roof to the bottom of the property resulting in a broken rib & fractured arm. A claim has now been made against my husband’s company (which is not a limited company) however the company they were working for at the time was in his dads company name, not the company which the claim is made against.
    Also the insurance that had been in place at the time did not include employers liability, we were not under the impression this was needed, therefore the insurance has been suspended although the insurers took liability for not asking adequate questions to ensure the cover was correct. My husbands company has now stopped trading and does not have the finances to support any claim. Can a claim still be made against my husband? Thank you

    Ian Morris

    Where a business either did not have insurance or has since ceased trading, it is highly unlikely that any Solicitor would be willing to pursue the matter. In such cases, regardless of the outcome of the claim, the defendant is unlikely to have the financial capability to settle the claim or cover legal fees and a Solicitor would therefore have no guarantee of obtaining their fee, even if they were to win.

    In the scenario you describe, we do not believe that anyone would pursue a claim against the individual for the above reasons. Further, it would appear that the claim is directed to the wrong company in any event.

    Reply

    Hi there last year I was crashed into by a motorbike from behind hes insurance took full liability for the accident and my personal injuries my case is now at the settlement stages and I’ve just been informed by my case handler that the third party insurance has gone into liquidation. Does this mean I won’t be paid out as they have already admitted full liability, or does it mean even though they have gone into liquidation that I will still get paid out from them for my personal injury claim?

    Ian Morris

    If the insurers are in liquidation, you as a claimant will be listed as a creditor and your claim will be passed to the administrators or liquidators of the insurers.

    Reply

    Can l still claim compensation if can’t find company insurers, for asbestosis?

    Ian Morris

    Our Solicitors will be able to run the required checks to identify the insurers of the businesses in question. As long as you know the names of the companies you worked for, our Solicitors should be able to assist further.

    Reply

    After a serious accident at work, I have learned that my company has no employer liability insurance cover. How can I claim against them or do I have to accept an offer of compensation with no further claims against the company?

    Ian Morris

    The fact that your employers had not ensured that they upheld their obligation to have employer liability insurance should not in and of itself prevent you from pursuing a claim for personal injury compensation. There is a possibility to claim directly against the business itself, or the owners/Directors of the same – if the company has sufficient financial wherewithal to withstand such action.

    Reply

    Can I claim even if company changed hands?

    Ian Morris

    Yes, if a business or site where you were injured has since been sold, you can still seek to pursue a claim against the liable party. As with all claims, the prospects of succeeding with a claim for personal injury compensation will be greatly improved if you have the right evidence available to support your claim. With this in mind, if the details of the incident in which you were injured were recorded in an accident book and medical attention was sought for any injuries sustained, you are in a good position to pursue your claim.

    Reply

    If a non limited company ceases trading, is it possible to make a claim against the former owner (retired builder, for instance)?

    Ian Morris

    If the owner of said business is located and found to have sufficient financial wherewithall to accommodate a claim, a Solicitor will pursue action against them. In the situation you describe, it may also be possible to pursue a claim against the closed business – if insurance was in place when the business was trading and when it caused the issue that would form the basis of your claim.

    Reply

    I slipped and fell in a Debenhams store breaking my hip, liability was admitted and I have a court judgement but the company have not paid. They are in administration, enforcement seems expensive and cannot guarantee payment, is there anything else I can do?

    Ian Morris

    As a successful claimant in a personal injury action against a company now in administration, you become a creditor and should register with the administrators dealing with the closure of the business.

    Reply

    We have took over a Ltd company 7 years ago we have just received a solicitors letter, the claimant is claiming for HAVS while working for the company from 1999-2002. Can they claim against us if they didn’t actually work for us and can’t comment on working conditions/insurance etc at the time?

    Ian Morris

    Is the business that is in existence now, the same business that the person worked for in the period stated? Despite the owners/Directors changing, if the company is the same company, the claimant does have a right to take action against that business.

    Richard

    The company was not a Ltd company then but is now. But same name.

    Ian Morris

    Is the company registration number the same? If you have insurers, it would be wise to hand this to them and allow their legal team to deal with this for you.

    Reply

    My husband had an accident in Spain. Thomas Cooke admitted liability and they paid £10,000 as an interim payment then went bust. The solicitors have tried claiming against their insurance but found out that Thomas Cooke were self insured and therefore the insurance company are not held liable.

    We have been offered a sum of though of £77,500 but the solicitors have to take disbursements and have written off most of their costs so we get £35,000 this claim has been going on for three and a half years we are not sure whether to accept it thank you.

    Ian Morris

    This is a really unfortunate situation. As the business self-insured, there is no longer any route to seek further redress other than from the administrators or insolvency practitioners dealing with the closure of the business. Whilst it is a kick in the teeth to see so much compensation lost because the business has folded, it would seem that your only sensible option is to accept the offer and bank whatever settlement you can get.

    Reply

    I am currently going through a compensation claim but the company I was working for is closing, will this affect my claim? I started my claim in Dec 2019 and they are only just closing.

    Ian Morris

    As long as the employer had insurance cover in place (which is a legal requirement) at the time of your accident, that insurance should still be available to cover the costs of your claim. If the business is closing due to financial issues, it could be that you may have to face the cost of any excess on the insurance to be deducted from your claim – as the business is no longer there to cover that cost.

    Your Solicitor should be able to advise you on this matter.

    Reply

    I had a car accident accident in December 2019, which the other driver admitted 100% liability for. I suffered minor injuries but pursued a claim using Ageas Law to deal with it for me. After undergoing a physical examination, a doctor confirmed my injuries and eventually an offer of compensation was made, which I accepted. I signed and returned all relevant paperwork to Ageas Law on 26th June 2020. Since then I heard nothing. After waiting nearly 4 months I contacted Ageas Law to find out what the hold up was, and was informed by them that the 3rd party insurance company had “gone into liquidation” and that the case had been passed on to a “senior manager”. What happens in this instance and how likely am I to get my compensation?

    Ian Morris

    Your Solicitor will advise you on this matter. You may wish to ask the regulatory authorities to check this for you – both the insurance ombudsman and the Solicitors Regulatory Authority in order to ensure that everything being said to you is correct.

    Reply

    I am claiming a personal injury following a car accident where my car was hit from behind. I have an independent witness statement. A disposal hearing date has been set for January 2021 because the the defendant has not replied to my solicitors letters. The defendants insurers are in liquidation. My solicitors are making the claim against the defendant. If the defendant does not have the means to pay my claim what is the likely outcome at the Disposal hearing and who pays my compensation ?

    Ian Morris

    As the insurers are in liquidation, it is very unlikely that they would have assets to settle any claim. If the driver is not personally able to settle any claim, it may not be possible to succeed and receive settlement. The matter could be taken on by the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) and they may be able to look at compensating you on behalf of the now liquidated insurer. You should discuss that with your Solicitor.

    Reply

    If a solicitor pursues a child personal injury claim against a reputable company and the claim is successful and the courts grant damages to the child, which are held in a court trust fund. What happens to the solicitors fees if that reputable company then goes into administration and they haven’t manage to succeed in claiming their fees from the companies insurance?

    Ian Morris

    Once a settlement is held in trust, it cannot be accessed by any party other than the court or trustee at the appropriate time.

    Reply

    My Wife and I are claiming damages against Fleetway Travel for injuries on holiday due to Gas sewage leakage in bedroom. Charles Taylor Adjusting have taked over the claim but now Fleetway Travel have ceased trading. Can we still carry on with our claim?

    Ian Morris

    The claim should continue. The insurance should remain in place even though the business has ceased trading.

    Reply

    Hi I had accident at work and just been told he has no liability insurance. But his web site states he has liability insurance up to 5 million pounds. Were do I stand?

    Ian Morris

    Who has told you that he does not have insurance in place? You could still pursue the claim against the employer directly – against them personally – if they have the financial wherewithal to pay compensation.

    Reply

    I have had a claim going through with solicitors for over two and a half years. The company who admitted liability after I had a fall on holiday, Thomas Cooke, have ceased trading.
    My solicitor said the claim was worth in excess of 250,000 nothing has happened since, what can we do? my husband is paralysed as a result of the accident.

    Ian Morris

    This situation needs to be discussed with your Solicitor at the earliest opportunity. However, as the defendant has been placed in liquidation, your Solicitor may at this time not know whether or not the claim can proceed. Of course, the insurers acting for the liquidated company will remain in place but the liquidated company is no longer in place to pay any excess on the policy. Depending on the size of their excess, it could impact on the claim.

    On a positive note, given the potential value of the claim, the Solicitor will not want to simply close the claim if there is any way at all that they can succeed as alongside your Husband’s settlement value, the Solicitors fees would be substantial too and the only way that they can be recovered would be by succeeding with the claim for your Husband.

    Reply

    Hello, I worked for a company that has gone into administration. I had a head injury during the last years that the factory was open. I was sent to hospital and had 8 stitches on my forehead. I was hit with block of wood thrown at me accidentally by my colleague. Can I still claim now I have been made redundant?

    Ian Morris

    Being made redundant, or having left a company does not prevent you from making a claim.

    As long as you pursue your claim within 3 years of the date of the accident and the injuries were reported and recorded at the time, you can pursue your claim.

    Reply

    I injured my rotator cuff by falling at work. The company I work for is about to change its name but the owners will still be the same. Can I still make a claim?

    Ian Morris

    Yes, it would appear that you would still be able to pursue your claim. As long as your injury was non-fault (caused by negligence or due to someone else’s mistake), you have sought medical attention and your injury happened within the past 3 years, you meet the criteria to pursue a claim for compensation.

    Reply

    I fractured my knee after a fall at work. My company never reported it to Health & Safety. The company has now been bought by a new owner and stopped trading under the previous name. I have kept my job with the new owners in the new company. Would I be able to claim against the previous business without claiming against the new company? I wouldn’t feel comfortable claiming against the new employers.

    Ian Morris

    Firstly, before we know whether or not you can make a claim, we need to understand how you fractured your knee and learn more about the incident itself. However, it is likely that a claim could proceed but it would be against the insurance that was in place under the previous regime and would not be against the new owners of the business.

    Reply

    If I am in the middle of a claim for a company that has ceased trading that has been ongoing for nearly 3 years with the solicitors in place is there anyway I can still claim?

    Ian Morris

    Do you mean that the Solicitors you had instructed have ceased trading? If that is the case, you can certainly ‘switch’ your claim to a new firm or to one of our specialist Solicitors. Please do call us or email us (justice@direct2compensation.co.uk) so that we can help you.

    Reply

    I worked in engineering as a manual lathe operator. There was no extraction on the lathes, so I was inhaling smoke & also no masks were provided. I went to the industrial disease centre in Liverpool, where all evidence was put forward and the the dwp board found that I had industrial disease (namely asthma). I was awarded industrial disease disability for life. This was early to mid 90’s. In March this year, I was reassessed by the dwp and a scan showed that I now have emphysema & copd. My award went up to 50% disability for life.

    The company I worked for went bust in I think 2001. Is there anything that I can do?

    Ian Morris

    Have you ever claimed for the previously diagnosed industrial injury of Asthma? If so, you may not be able to return for the new diagnosis that you have received. However, it would be sensible to speak with our specialist industrial injury/illness Solicitors to find out whether or not you can take action.

    If you have never taken any action in terms of a claim for compensation for the industrial disease that you now live with, you certainly should give instructions to a specialist personal injury provider – such as Direct2Compensation and the specialist Solicitors with whom we work – to act for you. As we work on a No Win No Fee basis, if it were found that the former employer was indeed liquidated and if no previous insurance cover can be accessed, the claim would fail but it would cost you nothing.

    Reply

    Hi , a worked for my fathers (LTD) company off and on for long for long periods of time from 1984 to 2011 , when it went into liquidation , during my times there I was exposed to very long times supervising the marble bridging saw cutting very large slabs of marble being cut to required sizes , also long periods of times of working same saw by myself , also useing kango hammers etc etc etc , can I make a claim for industrial deafness , this month been to a hearing clinic , had all tests , and require hearing aids for both ears !!!??

    Ian Morris

    Potentially you can make a claim for the industrial hearing loss that you have suffered. The issue you may face will arise from the fact that the business went in to liquidation and no longer exists. If the business had active insurance cover in place at the time of liquidation, the claim may be able to proceed against that.

    Reply

    My son worked in a foundry for 12 years. The company ceased trading and he was made redundant. He is now suffering with bad health and this maybe caused by the lead and other materials he worked with daily. A blood test in the next few weeks will tell us exactly the cause of his problem.

    Ian Morris

    Your Son may have a valid claim for industrial illness or industrial disease compensation, if it is found that his ill health is linked to his employment and his employer failed to provide him with the correct personal protective equipment and a safe working environment. He will need to make any claim within 3 years of the date that he became aware that his ill health was work related.

    Reply

    Hi, my children were both awarded £3250 at court after a car accident on the motorway. I have now received a letter from people dealing with the claim saying the company has gone into administration. Is there anything that can be done or will they lose their compensation?

    Ian Morris

    When you say that the company has gone in to administration, do you mean the firm handling your claim or the insurers who will have to settle the claim that has been awarded against them?

    If the firm handling your claim has ceased trading, the claim will still be payable – you’ll simply need to make contact with the defendant to obtain settlement.

    If the defendant has gone in to administration, your children will become creditors and any administrator will consider them in the same way as any creditor.

    Reply

    I have loss of hearing to my right ear sustained during my time working with Alfred McAlpine in the early 2000’s, the company was taken over by Carillion in 2005. Being a large contractor all relevant insurances would have been in place at the time. I’m still in contact with a number of work colleagues from the time. My exposure at the time would have been too mechanical rivet busting machinery.

    Ian Morris

    You should make an appointment with your GP to discuss your hearing loss and seek a test to confirm that it was caused by your work. You do have a right to make a claim for industrial hearing loss and this is something we can assist you with.

    Reply

    Hi Ian, I fractured my foot while in work. Not long after going back to work I was made redundant. I know the company I was working for has gone into administration, but it was a subsidiary of another company or being backed by them.
    Is it still possible to put a claim in against them?

    Ian Morris

    The company going in to administration will not prevent you from being able to pursue a claim for foot injury compensation. The issue is whether the company had insurance in place at the time of your accident and if there are sufficient assets in place to cover the excess cost that any successful claim would include.

    You should certainly exercise your legal right to make a claim against your former employers if you believe that your foot injury was due to their negligence and not worry about whether or not the administration issue and lack of funds within the former employers business impacts on your claim. Of course, it would be disappointing if the administration issue did cause an otherwise valid claim to fail. However, with our No Win No Fee service, you would never have to pay any costs in that circumstance, so why not make the claim and see what happens?

    Katt

    Hi,
    I had a fall and was injured at a hotel due to shoddy bathroom fittings. I fractured my coccyx and am still having problems 18 months later.
    My solicitor intimated a claim but all communication was ignored. The owner has now placed the hotel into liquidation and the administrators have been brought in.
    The administrators very helpfully told my solicitor the public liability insurance details for the time of the accident. However, the insurer has said that the claim can only progress if the owner was indemnified. I’m unsure of the meaning and implications of this in this context.
    I’m facing spinal surgery and it would be nice to go private.
    Do you think I stand a chance of a successful claim?
    Many thanks.

    Ian Morris

    You certainly have a chance of success in your claim. With regards to the insurers stance, that means that there may be an excess to pay on the insurance and as the company (hotel owner) is no longer trading, they cannot pay the excess. With this in mind, you may have to agree to have any excess deducted from settlement should you succeed.

    Reply

    Hi. I suffered a personal injury at work 2 years ago when I was attacked by a service user. I was out of work for 10 weeks. I was initially told that they would pay me ‘discretionary sick pay’ & then later refused. The company I work for has exchanged hands but still employs the same staff. Recently another staff member was attacked & her injuries were similar to mine. I learnt that they will be paying her a full wage until she returns in 8 weeks yet I was on SSP for 10 weeks. Would I still be able to pursue a claim even if the company now is under a new one?

    Ian Morris

    The time issue is not a problem as you have a claim limitation period of 3 years. As 2 have passed, you have a further 12 months left in which you can make a claim.

    The issue you will have is that you will have to demonstrate employer negligence to pursue a claim against the employer. As you were attacked, it could be that this is a criminal injuries claim. As such, was the incident reported to the Police?

    Reply

    My company were struggling financially and we were constantly being left on our own. We move furniture in a shop and into vans and customer vehicles. A number of staff complained about the risk and I then subsequently had an injury. I was lifting a piece of furniture into the car and the customer then shut the book with my finger in it. I broke my middle finger and had to have surgery. I was in pain for weeks and still do not have feeling in it. The company went into liquidation and I have tried to pursue this but they say because of vicarious liability they are not responsible. I don’t understand how they cant be. There were also no first aid trained staff in the company.

    Ian Morris

    You say that you have already tried to claim, but the claim has failed. Were you represented by a specialist Solicitor? If so, it would seem that the defendants have mounted a strong defence that has been considered by your Solicitor to be robust and likely to stand up to court scrutiny. If this is the case, there is very little that could be done without new evidence to materially undermine any defence raised.

    Reply

    I worked for a company called Mark Group Ltd who ceased trading in 2015. I was required to use a Hi-impact Drill for long periods of time to carry out cavity wall insulation tasks. I had to use the drill all day every day and use it with either hand. The company did not make us aware of any risks and no assessment or monitoring was ever done. I am now starting to show signs of HAVS and am booked in with my G.P for some tests. Is this something I can pursue as an industrial injury? It is starting to affect my current ability to work.

    Ian Morris

    As long as your symptoms started less than 3 years ago, you could be within the claim limitation period of 3 years. Whilst you can still pursue a claim against the company if they have ceased trading, as you can imagine, it can sometimes become impossible to obtain a compensation settlement. That said, once you have had your tests at the GP and if a repetitive strain injury like HAVS is confirmed, you should contact us so that we can investigate this further for you.

    Reply

    Hello I’m making enquiries for my uncle who was injured at works as a result of a failure of Temporary Works. There was no negligence from the contractor who installed the support, but was caused due to a fault with the design. The designers closed business in January. Does the fault now pass onto the contractor?

    Ian Morris

    If a contractor has constructed something as per the plans laid out by an engineer or designer, liability for any issues caused by a failure of the structure would rest with the designers.

    If the designers have ceased trading, there may still be a possibility of pursuing a claim against the insurance that they had in place at the time of operating.

    Reply

    My father worked most of his adult life with the same company, he has recently been diagnosed with COPD as the result of working conditions during his time with his employer. In 2006 this company went into administration leaving 450 employees out of work, it was subsequently taken over by another company within the same industry. This company continues to trade today although not on the same site. Is my father entitled to make a claim?

    Ian Morris

    Our specialist Solicitors can certainly investigate your Father’s situation with a view to pursuing a claim for compensation if the relevant criteria are met. Given the nature of COPD symptoms and the fact that we operate on a fully No Win No Fee basis, we’d like to speak with him or yourself in relation to this so that we can then get the right specialist Solicitor to discuss things in detail with him and if applicable, run some searches on the insurance situation of his former employers and then go from there.

    Reply

    My daughter slipped on a wet floor in a restaurant, she was taken to the hospital with a nasty fracture to her elbow and put in plaster overnight. she had an operation the following morning to have a metal plate put into her arm. We have contacted a solicitor and everything is proceeding…. but we have just found out that the restaurant has now closed down. Where do we stand as far as our injury claim is to proceed?

    Ian Morris

    The claim against the restaurant in question can proceed, even if the business has ceased trading. When the business was open, it should have had public liability insurance in place. In the vast majority of claims for personal injury compensation, a claim is made against such insurance cover. In this case, the policy will still provide cover for the business for the period that the policy covered – which should cover your Daughter.

    If the restaurant had no such insurance in place, the fact that it has ceased trading could leave the claim high and dry.

    Reply

    Had a road traffic accident in Feb 2016, we were rear ended, our solicitor has took so long to get the claim sorted that the insurance company has gone into liquidation. We have accepted an amount of payout so we were looking forward to a holiday to get over this stress, but no chance. He is saying the FSA are not any help. I think the solicitor has done a bad job from beginning to end, endless chasing up, and now this. What can we do?

    Ian Morris

    If you believe that your Solicitor has acted poorly or been negligent in their handling of your claim, you must act quickly to get this investigated.

    You should immediately contact the Law Society and get some advice on this issue. You need to register a formal complaint with your Solicitor firm and allow them to investigate the complaint. If they are unable to satisfy your complaint you can then seek an investigation from the Law Society and if they find that there has been negligence from your Solicitor, you may be given leave to seek damages from them.

    Reply

    I had a very bad burn off a radiator when I stayed at a hotel. I was scarred. I filled out an accident sheet and I have put a claim in but they will not reply to my solicitor. I have looked up the company and it said it dissolved 2 months later, the hotel is still up and running, it’s on trip advisor and booking.com but how do i get hold of the person who had the hotel before it dissolved and would I still be able to persue my claim?

    Ian Morris

    Your Solicitor should be able to identify whether the business was properly closed and placed in either administration or liquidation. The new business may well appear to be exactly the same from the outside – trading under the same hotel name etc, but if the business is new and correctly registered, it will not be liable for the incident in which you were injured.

    The claim MUST go against the original company and their owners/insurers.

    Reply

    My mum and sister were injured whilst sat on a bus and a car crashed into it, the firm they was using have now been shut down due to fraud, they are not sure where to go or who they need to seek advice from?

    Ian Morris

    Our Solicitors will be able to conduct an insurance check on the bus company in question and if cover was in place when the businesses went in to administration or were closed, the claims can still be brought against those policies at this stage. Our article on bus accident claims may also be of interest.

    Reply

    I’ve been diagnosed with HAVS recently but the company where I mostly used vibrating tools have been taken over, can I make a claim?

    Ian Morris

    If the company that you worked for no longer exists because it has either been taken over or gone into liquidation/administration, there is still a possibility that you can pursue a claim for compensation. You certainly have nothing to lose at this stage, and possibly a compensation settlement and rehabilitation therapies to obtain if you were to succeed with a claim for HAVS compensation.

    We look forward to hearing from you.

    Reply

    I was the passenger in a taxi that was involved in a crash, i instructed a firm to claim for personal injury, the claim has been going on over a year now, my lawyers have sent me to various doctors etc and the company had admitted liability. I was waiting on a cheque coming from them to cover my travel expenses to all of these specialist, as it’s cost me a lot so far. Now i have been informed that the company Enterprise has went into liquidation? Just as my claim was being settled, can anyone tell me if i will still receive my compensation?

    Ian Morris

    If the insurers who are fielding the claim on behalf of the 3rd party (Enterprise?) have accepted liability, then you ought to be receiving compensation from them – as soon as the extent of the injuries and losses have been agreed.

    However, if the 3rd party have since been liquidated it could cause a problem to your claim. Although the insurers have admitted liability, if the company that has taken the insurance policy out has ceased trading, it could be that there is no funds available to pay the excess premium that would accompany any settlement. Clearly, I do not know the details of the specific insurance and the situation with Enterprise, but this may be the case for you.

    When anyone makes a claim for compensation, the insured must pay a previously agreed excess. In your case, if the 3rd parties excess is higher than the value of your claim, there is no way the claim could proceed. Alternatively, if the excess is substantial, but lower than the value of the claim, you could still pursue the claim but YOU would have to pay the excess fee to obtain the settlement.

    Reply
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