What parties are involved in a personal injury case?
Claims representative
A claims representative is often hired by an insurance company to evaluate your claim. Both the claims representative and your lawyer will visit you at home (often more than once if the injury is very serious). Your lawyer will discuss with the claims representative the level of compensation your case requires. The claims representative reports to the insurer, determines how much should be paid to you in advance, and what the final financial settlement should be.
Labour expert
If your ability to work is affected by your injury, a labour expert will talk to you, your employer, and your doctor to evaluate your condition and make recommendations about rehabilitation, adaptations at your place of work, the use of auxiliary devices that might assist you, and, if necessary, any retraining you would require before returning to work (all of which would be paid for by the liable party). The labour expert tries to find the right balance between the physical demands of your job and your reduced physical capability. If we act as your lawyers, we would assist you in finding a highly competent labour expert.
Occupational therapist
As a result of your injury, you may find that you cannot sit for long periods of time or that you cannot bathe yourself independently anymore. An occupational therapist helps determine what auxiliary devices might make your life easier and more bearable. We engage highly experienced professionals in this field and we make sure that their bills are paid by the insurer of the liable party.
Care manager
A care manager can help coordinate all the different professionals and organizations—from your physicians and therapists, the claims representative or representatives, and your personal injury lawyer, to the the Public Employment Service (Uitvoeringsorgaan Werknemers Verzekeringen or UWV)—that are involved in your case. We can recommend excellent care managers (also known as rehabilitation coaches) who are experts in their field.
Accountant
An accountant will calculate how much future financial loss you will face and make a detailed calculation that is used in the compensation settlement. The accountant will assess among other things how your career would have developed without the accident, and will compare lost future earnings with your current financial situation. In a personal injury case the accountant often works for both parties.