Member Article

Leading accident management services provider bolsters reputation with senior appointment

A leading accident management services provider has appointed an experienced industry figure to spearhead its strategic growth.

And the move falls at a key time for the company as it seeks to disrupt the whiplash claims market with its automated, free and easy to use service

Russell Atkinson, former CEO of NAHL Group, the firm behind National Accident Helpline, has been appointed Chairman of the Telford-based Call Brian Group.

The business, which offers a 360-degree solution for customers, covering car replacement, car repairs, No Win No Fee legal advice and medical services - and does not impact insurance no claims for non-fault drivers, is seeking to remove the cost and administrative burden that comes with the government’s new whiplash claims portal.

The UK’s only automated accident management company, Call Brian recently criticised the government’s Official Injury Claim system, with CEO Colin Shaw mooting that the scheme had been ‘strategically implemented’ whilst Britain’s attention had been elsewhere on bank holiday May 31st, with claimants unaware that they could be out pocket through the footing of costly legal fees.

And with Call Brian offer a comprehensive free of charge 24/7 service, Russell believes prospects look bright for Call Brian within the accident management and personal injury sector.

He said: “I am thrilled to have joined the team at Call Brian Group. I see a real opportunity to help accident victims, which ultimately, is our end goal.

“Call Brian puts the claimant and their mental and physical health first, along with a variety of other significant benefits. This is what makes us so unique and is one of the many reasons I am delighted to be a part of the team.”

The firm provides mental and physical health checks, supplying claimants with the appropriate services in order to aid their recovery. From private physiotherapy to counselling, Call Brian helps to ‘repair motorists as quickly as their cars’.

What’s more, the firm also provides private medical coverage, car repairs, and covers the cost of the claimant’s excess fee.

Appointed just in time for the introduction of the Civil Liability Act reforms, Russell shares the criticism of the new rules, which see an increase in the Small Claims Track (SCT) limit for road traffic injury claims to £5,000, meaning that any claim below this amount will not be processed by personal injury lawyers, leaving it entirely up to the claimant.

Those who find themselves in a road traffic accident and suffering from soft tissue injuries will now be left to their own devices to follow in a 64-page guidance document in order to file a claim, which also necessitates an understanding of the MedCo system – used to facilitate the sourcing of medical reports in soft tissue claims brought under the Ministry of Justice.

Call Brian, however, allows claimants to submit a claim in just seven minutes. “In line with the changes to the Civil Liability Act, at Call Brian, we offer a simple and comprehensive solution to whiplash and soft tissue injury, without damaging the pockets and wallets of our claimants.

“We take care of it all, from start to finish and in as little as 13 weeks. Claimants have enough to deal with without having to file a claim themselves, so we do it all for them – no if’s, no and’s, no buts,” Russell said.

From his time in the industry, Russell explains that approximately 90% of road traffic accidents would be caught under the small claims reforms, meaning the damages payable to a Road Traffic injury victim may in many cases now be less than a typical flight delay claim

“The notion of ‘cash for crash’ is no more, and with motorists experiencing three to four road traffic accidents in their lives, there needs to be a protection of the principle of access to justice, which is where Call Brian comes in.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Call Brian .