Margarita's story
Margarita had been told she could receive compensation for her accident - but she ended up in debt.
'I'd only popped out to get some milk. I was half way across the pedestrian crossing when I was knocked down. The next thing I remember I was lying on the road unable to move. I heard people shouting and eventually an ambulance came and took me to hospital. I'd broken my right leg very badly.
My friend told me I should make a claim and gave me a number to call. The man I spoke to said he would make sure my case got passed to a solicitor quickly and that it wouldn't cost me anything. 'No win no fee' he called it. He came to see me and I signed the papers he gave me. He said the solicitors would be in touch.
It turned out that the solicitors were in another part of the country, and I never met the person dealing with my case. I had letters from him but whenever I phoned I wasn't able to speak to him. I left messages but he never called back. Then I got a letter saying the firm wasn't able to do anything more for me.
I found another solicitor, this time someone whose office was near my home, which meant I could actually talk to her about what happened. I took all the papers I'd been sent by my previous solicitors with me.
I couldn't believe it when she told me I'd taken out a loan to buy insurance which was to pay the driver's legal costs if I lost my case. I was in debt and the debt was getting bigger all the time. I felt sick - there was no way I could repay it. No one had explained this to me before. I had been told there was a good chance I would be receiving money not end up owing it!
My new solicitor was great. She spoke to the first firm of solicitors and told them that I hadn't understood the papers I'd signed and she managed to persuade them that I owed them nothing. I can see why it is so important that people asking you to sign things should explain them properly and I'm not signing anything I don't understand in the future.'
Margarita could have complained about the poor service she received from her first solicitor. The Legal Complaints Service may be able to help people wanting to complain to their solicitor. See the 'How to find a solicitor and useful contacts' section.
