If you have suffered a personal injury through no fault of your own, you may be entitled to make a claim. However, without legal representation, it can feel incredibly daunting and complex. Where do you turn and how does the process work?
Dr Sahir is a MedCo accredited DME (Direct Medical Expert) available to provide medical opinion for the claimants who would like to make a claim without legal representation through the Official Injury Claim (OIC) organisation.
Dr Sahir Shaikh has been providing medico-legal reports for over 20 years. He is one of the few medical experts in the UK to have completed advanced training in Whiplash Injury Biomechanics from the USA. He has several consulting venues across England and Wales.
Making a claim through the Official Injury Claim organisation
You can make a claim through the OIC if you have suffered a minor personal injury, even without legal help. The process is free, and available to those who:
- Are over 18
- Believe the accident or injury wasn’t their fault
- Suffered the injury after 31st May 2021
- Had the accident in England or Wales
- Suffered a minor injury costing £5000 or less
You will need to provide information about the accident including when it took place and where it happened. The OIC will then pass your claim on to the insurance company of the driver you think is responsible for the accident. They will investigate the claim and you will need to appoint a medical expert to assess your injuries. Your appointed medical expert will write up a medical report.
If the accident is deemed to be the driver’s fault, a compensation offer will be provided. You can accept or decline this offer. Once you accept the offer, payment will be arranged, and the claim will be closed.
Why a medical report is important
Medical report provides proof of your injuries, as well as give an estimation of how long they will take to heal. They state when the injuries occurred, alongside the cause.
On 31 May 2021, the rules for claiming for a whiplash injury were reformed. Now, patients need to provide medical reports from accredited medical experts to assist in their claim. This is to help eliminate fraudulent claims.
Your medical report will determine how much compensation you are offered if the other driver is found to be at fault.
If the at-fault insurer accepts liability for the accident. Additionally, they will pay for the cost of the medical report. Your medical expert will be able to help you understand the report and answer any questions you may have about its contents.
How unrepresented claimants receive their medical report
The OIC claims service is integrated with MedCo. When an unrepresented claimant uses the service, medical experts and MROs are randomly selected by Medco to provide the report.
Once the search criteria have been entered and the search executed, the results screen will be displayed. If you undertake a DME search you will be presented with details of up to 7 medical experts.
If Dr Sahir Shaikh is selected in this MEDCO search, you can book a consultation within 15 minutes of using the Official Injury Claim portal.
To get in touch after making a claim, information about medical examinations, appointment availability and for other useful policy information you can visit https://www.d2expert.org.uk/drshaikh/
