Making a claim for compensation following a fatal accident is never easy. It is a very emotional time and it may seem to some as if they are making money from the death of a loved one.
However, compensation can be essential in providing a secure future for dependants. It will help to reduce the financial strain following the loss of a spouse or partner, who may have been the bread-winner or contributed to the household bills.
It can also help to bring closure by bringing the person who caused the accident to account.
In the UK, the courts will not just look at the immediate effect of loss of household income, but also what effect the death will have on future earnings, pensions, state benefits and any other income that may be affected.
Who can make a claim?
A claim can generally be made only by those who were in some way dependent on the deceased. The law specifies the following would be entitled to bring a claim:
- A spouse or civil partner (including those where the marriage or partnership has been annulled or dissolved).
- A person who had been living with the deceased.
- Children and stepchildren.
- Parents and siblings of the deceased.
If you would like to know, or are unsure, if your relationship to the deceased entitles you to make a claim, please contact us.
How Thomas Dunton can help ?
Our aim is to provide sensitve, practical, clear and cost effective advice to support you through what is a distressing and emotionally overwhelming time. We will work with you in a quiet and unobtrusive way and will always be available should you need reassurance or support.
We have a specialist team headed by Robert Sardo who, with over 20 years experience, has senior Litigator Approved Status with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and is an Approved Member of the Law Society’s Specialist Personal Injury Panel.
When you speak to us you will be talking to a qualified lawyer and not, like many national companies, a faceless legal advisor at a call centre.
Contacting our Personal Injury Team
Please contact us to arrange a free interview where you can discuss your case with a personal injury expert. There is no obligation to use our services but it will enable us to talk with you about the accident and the affect it has had on the well being and finances of your family. We are then in the best possible position to judge the merits of your case and provide the best advice.
