After a serious Road Traffic Accident (RTA), medical care often takes priority but what happens next can shape the outcome of your recovery and your legal claim. Early advice from serious injury solicitors ensures key evidence is secured, your rights are protected, and vital rehabilitation isn’t delayed.

We’ve seen first-hand how early intervention changes outcomes. In a recent RTA case, our client, a cyclist, was hit from behind at a junction and sustained a serious knee injury. She spent two years on crutches, faced long-term disability, and couldn’t return to work for three years. Her case was initially handled through the low-value portal by another firm.

However, when Levenes Solicitors took over the case, we immediately recognised that it was a complex serious injury case. Our team restructured the claim and secured expert testimony, which led to a successful outcome for the client.

We achieved a final settlement of £285,000 covering rehabilitation, earnings loss, and long-term support.

What should you do immediately after a serious road accident?

After a serious RTA, immediate safety and medical attention come first. If you’re able, take photographs of the scene, speak to witnesses, and obtain the police reference number if officers attend. These early steps can make a significant difference later, especially when establishing how the accident unfolded. In cases involving very serious injuries, the injured person is often unable to gather evidence at the scene, such as taking photographs or speaking to witnesses, due to receiving immediate medical attention from paramedics and being transported to hospital, sometimes by air ambulance. In such situations, the role of the police in collecting and preserving evidence from the scene becomes critically important.

Clients who instruct serious injury solicitors early are far more likely to succeed in their claim, secure vital evidence and access care sooner. This includes securing dashcam footage or other CCTV before it’s deleted, preserving vehicle damage reports, and ensuring communication with insurers is informed and proactive.

A Levenes Serious Injury Solicitor will request full documentation and ensure it’s used effectively in your case. In cases involving very serious injuries, the police will typically conduct a thorough investigation of the accident. This may involve collecting extensive documentation, taking photographs, and carrying out vehicle examinations. Such investigations can generate hundreds of pages of material and take considerable time to complete.

Importantly, the police are unable to release any of this evidence until their investigation is concluded. If a criminal prosecution is pursued against any of the drivers involved, no documentation will be disclosed to any party until the criminal proceedings have been fully resolved.

What do the police do at the scene of a RTA?

Police officers at the scene gather initial information: they take witness statements, assess conditions, photograph evidence, and prepare reports in more serious cases. These reports become a vital independent record.

Experienced solicitors regularly use these details to support early case arguments, especially when insurer accounts are inconsistent. Read our case studies to see how fast action and early police involvement has us secure successful outcomes for our clients.

How is police evidence used by serious injury solicitors?

Police documentation offers an account of what happened. Levenes Solicitors request this early in the process and use it to verify statements, clarify timelines, and build a structured legal claim. Even small details such as a skid mark or a missing road sign can significantly influence the discussion around liability.

In most cases, the police will redact parts of the evidence for data protection purposes. When this occurs, it may be necessary to obtain a court order compelling the police to disclose the unredacted evidence.

Where CCTV footage is available, it can be instrumental in estimating the speed of vehicles involved in a collision. While specialist police officers are trained to perform these calculations, their training is often less comprehensive than that of independent forensic accident reconstruction and video analysis experts. As a result, police assessments of speed may occasionally be inaccurate and require independent verification, something that can significantly impact the outcome of a case.

At Levenes, we have acted in numerous cases where CCTV evidence proved critical. In one such case, a driver struck two pedestrians and fled the scene. Although the police were unable to identify the make and model of the vehicle, an independent CCTV analyst instructed by Levenes successfully identified it.

Accident reconstruction experts can also play a vital role in supplementing police evidence, particularly where the available information is limited or inconclusive.

How early rehabilitation impacts your serious injury claim

From the moment a solicitor is instructed, rehabilitation should be a top priority for discussion, both with the client and with the insurer responsible for the claim. When solicitors work under the Rehabilitation Code, they can negotiate early treatment pathways that help clients regain function, stability, and confidence.

For example, most insurers are happy to fund early physiotherapy often before the question of liability has been resolved. Psychological support can be initiated promptly for trauma-related symptoms. Home assessments may take place early to ensure that necessary modifications are made before discharge. The more enlightened insurers and their legal teams recognise the value of early intervention and treatment. At Levenes, we are often able to collaborate with insurers to ensure that rehabilitation is initiated at the earliest possible stage.

To support this process, Levenes Solicitors often set up “Way Forward Meetings” which help to map out the client’s journey from the point of injury through to recovery and eventual settlement of the claim. While not all insurers adopt this approach, those who do generally contribute to a more efficient and constructive claims process.

Clients benefit both medically and legally. Early rehab shows a commitment to recovery, documents ongoing needs, and adds weight to your claim.

Can you start rehabilitation before your case concludes?

Yes, and you should.

If liability is admitted, interim payments can cover private therapy, medical equipment, or even specialist housing adaptations. If the other side hasn’t accepted liability yet, experienced serious injury solicitors can still work with rehab providers to start assessments and basic treatments.

As your legal team, we ensure that every aspect of your injury, treatment, and financial losses is thoroughly documented. This approach allows your case to progress and ultimately settle based on clear, robust evidence in order to maximise the outcome for you.

How do rehabilitation records support a claim?

Your medical records show more than test results. They provide a timeline of how your injury impacts daily life, which we use to support your claim.

It’s not uncommon for rehabilitation notes to be the deciding factor in securing long-term funding for care or therapy. That’s why experienced teams make sure every document is accurate, comprehensive, and timely.

These notes are particularly useful when documenting your capacity to return to work, education, or home responsibilities. Evidence from occupational therapists and physiotherapists may also help clarify long-term support needs.

Who arranges your rehabilitation support?

At Levenes we appoint a case manager. This is typically a clinician such as an occupational therapist, nurse or physiotherapist who coordinates your rehabilitation programme, monitors your progress, and adjusts treatment as needed.

Having a single point of contact ensures smooth communication between you, your providers, and your legal team. It also means your treatment adapts to your pace of recovery, not just a fixed plan. It is considered good practice for the case manager to establish and agree SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) with you as part of your rehabilitation plan. These goals should be regularly reviewed to ensure progress remains focused and purposeful. Without this structured approach, there is a risk that recovery may lose direction if not closely monitored.

A good case manager helps prevent delays, flags complications early, and ensures that each provider involved understands your overall recovery strategy.

What long-term help can serious injury solicitors offer?

Legal support goes beyond compensation. At Levenes Solicitors, we maintain close and regular contact with both the client and their family to ensure we remain fully informed about the ongoing impact of the accident on their daily lives. This enables us to respond effectively to their evolving needs and circumstances.

We also work collaboratively with the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to ensure that rehabilitation remains focused, goal-oriented, and on track. While the costs of private treatment are generally recoverable from the insurer, it is essential to monitor these expenses carefully. This ensures that a clear and well-documented case can be presented to support recovery of those costs.

Once a Levenes client, always a client.

You can also explore the backgrounds of our legal team and their areas of expertise on our people page.

Why is experience important when choosing a solicitor?

Serious injury claims require coordination across multiple moving parts: medical records, insurer negotiations, therapy providers, and court processes. An experienced solicitor understands where things can stall and knows how to respond when delays arise.

They know which professionals to contact, how to escalate delays, and how to keep rehab on track while the legal case progresses. These practical insights only come from handling complex cases every day.

When should you speak with serious injury solicitors?

Don’t wait, getting legal advice early can preserve evidence and speed up your access to care. Call Levenes Solicitors to speak with serious injury solicitors who understand how to align legal action with your recovery goals starting from day one.

Call 0800 048 2355 to speak with a serious injury solicitor or start your claim using the form below.