PI action 'too costly'

The 'compensation culture' touted by the media is a myth because the general public think personal injury actions are too expensive and time-consuming to be worthwhile, research has suggested.

A survey of 1,000 members of the public, by the Law Society-endorsed personal injury referral scheme Accident Line, showed that 57% would only resort to legal action if an accident resulted in a stay in hospital or loss of earnings.

Some 12% said they had been an innocent victim of an accident but had decided to take it no further.

A quarter put their reluctance down to worries about legal costs, with 18% saying they thought they would have to pay money up front.

A similar number thought actions would take too long to resolve.

Accident Line director David Hartley said people deserve more credit for being honest.

'From our experience, people only make a claim when they have been seriously injured and they want compensation to make amends for that,' he said.

But Frances McCarthy, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, warned that failure to act could send out the wrong message.

'For example, many workplace regulations are not properly enforced, and if somebody succeeds in a claim for damages it is showing that employers cannot get away with not putting a guard around dangerous machinery,' she said.

David McIntosh, Law Society President, said: 'These findings confirm what personal injury lawyers already know - that the majority of us are not hell bent on pursuing frivolous claims.'

Paula Rohan