Road Traffic Accidents
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We can help you claim for injuries caused by a road traffic accident, whether that be as a driver, passenger, motorcyclist, cyclist, or pedestrian.
If you have been involved in a road traffic accident we advise getting in touch with one of our trusted personal injury solicitors as soon as possible. Insurance companies are often eager to settle claims directly and quickly and as a result you may end up receiving less compensation than you are entitled to for your injury.
Our team of expert personal injury lawyers have years of experience in this area. Not only can we look after the personal injury aspect of your claim, but we can also take care of any material damage which may have been caused through the accident. If your vehicle has been damaged as a result of the accident, or you have been unable to work due to the accident we can recoup the cost of your vehicles repair and any loss of earnings. We can also help you to receive compensation for any medical costs you may have as a result of the accident or injury.
Material Damage
At legal.ie we can look after the material damage aspect of your accident as well as any personal injury you have suffered. This can involve any repairs to your vehicle at the bodyshop, but you can also claim for any loss in value / depreciation to your car as a result of the accident. Depreciation is often calculated at 15 – 40% of the cost of the repair of the vehicle. The amount the insurance company will offer will depend on both the age and condition of the vehicle. The offer made by the insurance company does not have to be accepted if you are unhappy with it and we can negotiate on your behalf in this aspect of the claim.
There are circumstances where the motor assessor for the insurance company will declare the car a write off. It is important to note that not all write offs are the same. If the car has suffered severe damage it may be deemed unsafe to repair or ever drive again, however, most write offs are for economic reasons.
An economic write off is when the car simply isn’t worth fixing in the eyes of the insurance company. An older car may be written off for minor cosmetic damage. This is often the last thing the owner wants as the value offered for the car may be a fraction of what it is worth to the owner.
Write offs are broken into three categories:
Category A
CATEGORY A write offs are vehicles that must never be driven again and can only be crushed. The parts can be recovered and re-used. They must be completely destroyed. An example of this type of write off is a car which has been completely burnt out or submerged in salt water.
Category B
CATEGORY B write offs can only be scrapped and bodyshell, frame or chassis of the written off vehicle must be crushed. Non-structural components of the car can be salvaged. This category would normally include cars with structural damage.
Category C
CATEGORY C write offs are capable of being repaired and put back on the road but are being written off for economic reasons. Normally the cost of the parts and labour for repairs would be more than the pre-accident value of the vehicle. It often takes very little damage to write off an old car in this category. The owner can however choose to take the value of the car and repair it themselves.
Category D
CATEGORY D write offs can be repaired at a cost less than the vehicles pre-accident value, but are not for one reason or another. Reasons include the time spent waiting for a specialist component and vehicles replaced under “new-for-old” insurance schemes or stolen and recovered vehicles. These cars can also freely be bought, sold and driven.
Category A and B write offs are known as “Total Loss” write offs and are reported to the Department of Transport.
Category C and D write offs are known as economic write offs and they are not recorded in Ireland and can be repaired and used on the road again.