Sunday Telegraph reports client's battle for support from the Motor Insurers' Bureau

Following concerning data on increasing delays in progressing claims by the Motor Insurers' Bureau, Claire Glasgow spoke to the Sunday Telegraph with the mother of her client, Kieran Daly.

Kieran was left for dead on the side of the road after being knocked over by a hit and run driver in 2014. Despite police efforts, the driver was never found. In such cases, a claim for compensation to help fund only medical rehabilitation is submitted to the MIB, specifically set up to support victims of uninsured and untraced drivers.

The MIB is directly funded from a portion of premiums paid to insurance companies, approximately £30 per premium.

Kieran had to wait more than eight years for his claim to settle, however, which had a very negative impact on his recovery and his state of mind. His mother, Ann, also suffered severe anxiety worrying on behalf of her son.

On Ann's behalf, Claire issued a formal complaint to the MIB about its handling of Kieran's case, including delays in responding to communication, lack of compassion and what Ann considered a lack of training in brain injury claims.

The Sunday Telegraph ran a news piece this weekend with comments from Claire and Ann, also citing figures from the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) showing that hit-and-run victims face soaring delays for payouts, with a 47 per cent increase in the time it took the organisation to settle claims in the five years to 2022.

The average time to settle a claim is now exceeding a year, something that did not occur even during the height of the pandemic. These delays coincide with a fall in the number of employees by nearly a quarter over the same five-year period, and a reported 206% increase in the salary of MIB’s chief from £562,000 in 2017 to £1.15m last year.

Ann Daly told the Telegraph that she believes the delays in dealing with his case, which prevented him seeing a neuropsychologist for 16 months, hampered his chances of living an independent life in the future.

Claire commented: “It should not feel like a constant battle to get support and funds from the MIB that claimants are entitled to.”

Kieran's claim eventually settled this year, including funds for him to finally move into his own flat. He continues to need paid support for daily life and battles with anger issues and behavioural changes since the accident.

Fieldfisher's Court of Protection acts as Kieran's deputy.

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