If you have been involved in a road traffic accident, it is important to know what your rights are and how to pursue compensation if the other party is found at fault. This article will tell you everything you need to know about making a claim for compensation following an accident caused by another driver’s negligence.
What Should I Do if I Have Been Involved in a Road Traffic Accident?
If you have been involved in a road traffic accident, there are a few things that you should do:
- Seek medical attention. If you have been injured or feel unwell as a result of the accident, go to the hospital and get treated immediately. You should also make sure that your injuries are recorded by the police who attend at the scene of your accident and any witnesses who saw what happened will be able to give their accounts too.
- Make note of time, date and location of incident- it’s important for us to know this information so we can help determine who was responsible for causing it;
- Get names and addresses from all other parties involved – including witnesses (if applicable);
- Take photos/video footage if possible which illustrate how serious these injuries were;
What is the time limit for claiming compensation following a road traffic accident?
You have three years from the date of the accident to make a claim. This is known as your ‘time limit’.
If you are claiming for personal injury, then you can also make a claim up to 10 years after the incident if it was caused by long-term injuries or death. If it was not caused by these factors and only resulted in short-term injuries, then your time limit will be six years from when those injuries occurred.
Who can I claim compensation from if I have been injured as a result of another driver’s negligence?
If you have been injured as a result of another driver’s negligence, you may be able to make a claim for compensation.
The person at fault will usually be the other driver or their insurance company. However, if the other driver does not have insurance then you can make a claim against The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB).
Can someone else make my claim for me?
If you are not able to make a claim yourself, then it is possible for someone else to do it for you. They will have to be given power of attorney by the person who was injured in order for this to happen.
If someone does have power of attorney over your affairs – perhaps because they are family or close friends – then they can instruct a solicitor on your behalf and start making claims on behalf of their client. The advantage here is that they will be able to keep track of all aspects related to their case much more easily than if they were dealing with everything alone; they may also have more experience when it comes down negotiating settlements with insurers and other parties involved in an injury claim case like yours (for example).
How much compensation will I receive if I win my case?
The amount of compensation you can receive depends on the severity of your injuries, as well as the seriousness of the accident. For example, if you have a minor whiplash injury but it was caused by a serious accident, then you’ll likely be entitled to more money than someone who has sustained similar injuries but was involved in a minor collision.
Also important is which vehicle was involved in your road traffic accident – this will determine how much money is available from insurance companies or any third parties (such as another driver). In general terms:
- If an uninsured driver hits another motorist’s car and causes damage costing more than £1m (or equivalent), then each party will receive up to £1m from their insurer;
- If two insured drivers collide with each other causing only minimal damage (e.g., dents) and no injuries whatsoever, each could still claim up to £2k;
Where do I go to make a claim for road traffic accident compensation?
If you have been injured in a road traffic accident UK, or if your vehicle has been damaged, it is important to ensure that all avenues for compensation are explored.
You can make a claim for compensation by contacting one of the following organisations:*
- The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB)* The Association of British Insurers (ABI)
It is important to pursue your case for compensation after an accident caused by another party’s negligence.
It is important to pursue your case for compensation after an accident caused by another party’s negligence. If you do not pursue your claim, the negligent party may be able to avoid paying any compensation at all. This can happen if they are able to argue that:
- You were partly responsible for causing the accident (e.g., because you were speeding) or
- There was no actual damage caused by their negligence (e.g., because there was no physical injury).
If these arguments succeed in court then there will be no award made and therefore no money awarded as damages.
In addition, if a claim has been made on behalf of someone who died as a result of their injuries sustained in the accident then it will only be possible for relatives/dependents of that person (or children born after death) to bring claims against third parties under certain circumstances; otherwise they would have lost any right whatsoever against those responsible parties which could lead them being left out-of-pocket unnecessarily!
Conclusion
If you have been injured in a road traffic accident, it is important to pursue your case for compensation. The law protects people who have suffered injuries and financial losses as a result of another party’s negligence by allowing them to claim compensation from that person’s insurance company. Compensation can cover medical costs, loss of earnings and even pain and suffering caused by the accident itself.
