Road Traffic Accident Claims

Road Traffic Accident Claims

The first step is to contact us at Hennah Haywood Law for a free initial consultation about your car accident claim. While many motor insurers will try to settle your injury claim directly with you, it’s important to get early legal advice about how much compensation you might be entitled to.

You may be referred to a law firm by your insurer or another party, such as the garage repairing your vehicle, but you are free to make your own choice as to which law firm represents you.

The standard time limit for starting a car accident claim is three years from the date of the accident.

However, there are some exceptions to this:

Mental Capacity – while a loved one lacks the capacity to make a claim themselves, there is no time limit for making a claim. If they regain capacity then the relevant time limit will apply.

Children – claims can be made at any point before your child turns 18. After that, your child can make a claim up until the age of 21.

Car Accidents Abroad – time limits in other countries can be shorter than in the UK. However, depending on the circumstances of your accident, you may still be able to make a claim under UK law.

Criminal injuries – if your injuries were caused by someone else deliberately, you may have a separate right to claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The time limit for making a claim through the CICA scheme is two years from the incident.

You may also be able to claim if you were partially at fault. If your car hit another vehicle, but this was due to the condition of the road for example, then you may be able to claim.

You might also have a claim if you were only partly to blame for the collision, or if you contributed to your injuries by not wearing a seatbelt. However, in these cases the amount of compensation awarded may be less, to reflect your partial responsibility.

Most road traffic collision claims can be progressed on a No Win No Fee basis which means that there is nothing to pay upfront, and nothing to pay if your claim is unsuccessful.

If you win your case, your opponent will pay most of your legal fees, with the remainder coming out of your compensation award. We’ll keep you fully updated throughout your claim, so you know how much compensation you are likely to receive.