Claim farming is a recent phenomenon experienced in Queensland. With recent calls to crack down on the practice, we thought we would take the opportunity to talk about your rights and obligations when lodging a personal injury claim because you have suffered injury in a motor vehicle accident in Queensland.
We also wish to discuss the obligations around CTP insurance and what to do if you are caught up in what some consider to be a scam.
In recent times the Queensland government announced they cracked down on “claim farming”. This is to avoid any information that you may or may not think has been released without your authorisation. Claim farming is also known as cold calling clients.
Claim farm, it is view, targets vulnerable members of our community, however it may serve of benefit if you are put onto the correct solicitor for assistance. Victims are urged to switch compulsory third party insurance providers following a car crash, however the actual purpose of the call is to harvest information, which is then sold on to solicitors.
In the state of Queensland, as is in other states across Australia, referral fees (purchasing a client from marketing persons and/or cold callers) is illegal.
What to do if you need to file a motor vehicle accident injury in Queensland?
If you are involved in a motor vehicle accident you should contact your solicitor immediately. A Personal Injury Claim Form needs to be lodged within nine months from the date of accident. Included in the Personal Injury Claim Form is a Medical Certificate. You should report the incident to police in the state of Queensland and obtain what is commonly known as a QP number. Contacting professionals like Paramount makes your experience easier and ensures that the insurance company investigates the accident, determines the accident is not your fault and that your rights into the future are protected. In doing so, the insurer is obliged to pay for treatment if that treatment is required, matters like general practitioner attendances, specialists attendances and potential surgery.
We at Paramount have been successful in obtaining future financial hardship payments made to our clients (this is done as soon as possible).
The state of CTP legislation in Queensland
In Queensland, if you own your own vehicle and/or are driving the registered vehicle and or another owner on a public road, you are in a position to make a claim if you suffer injury due to the negligence of another road user, whether or not the other motor vehicle has the necessary CTP insurance and/or it is not registered. If the other motor vehicle responsible for the accident and your injuries is not registered, then the state of Queensland, pursuant to legislation, allows person to make claims on what is commonly referred to and known as the Nominal Defendant.
Insurance and Registration
Making a claim for personal injury because of a motor vehicle accident in Queensland does not increase your own premium for the registration and insurance of your own vehicle. This is a myth and large insurance company, pursuant to their huge resources, marketing and advertising, misrepresent the position to road users such as yourself and it is for this reason that you require the best legal representation that Paramount is the legal firm for you.
The Necessary Websites to Attend as Follows:
www.maic.qld.gov.au/ctp-premium-calculator
