If you’ve been injured in a motoring accident that was not your fault, you may be eligible to make a motor accident claim for compensation. Our guide on motor accident and injury claims will explain the claims process, look at the types of motoring accidents that could lead to a claim, and show you how much compensation you could be paid.

Our claims team are on hand to help if you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident. They offer free legal advice and a free initial consultation. If your motor injury claim appears to be strong enough, you could be connected to a personal injury solicitor on our team. They could improve your chances of securing a fair compensation settlement and, importantly, they’ll work on a No Win No Fee basis if your case is taken on. That means you will only pay legal fees if your claim is won.

To discuss a motor accident claim straight away, you can call us now on 0800 6524 881. Alternatively, please continue reading to learn more about your options.

Am I Eligible To Make A Motor Accident Claim?

Our personal injury solicitors could help you to claim compensation following a motoring accident. However, realistically they can only take on claims where there is a good chance of success so they don’t waste anybody’s time. When assessing your claim they will check whether:

• Another road user did something wrong i.e. they breached their duty of care through negligence; and
• That negligence caused a motoring accident; and
• You sustained injuries during that accident.

Duty of care is something that’s set out in various laws, particularly the Road Traffic Act 1988. It means that all drivers and riders must follow the rules of the road (such as the Highway Code) and drive as safely as possible.

Our solicitors can help make a motor injury claim on behalf of drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians so long as another road user was at fault. Usually, the claim will be made against a motor insurance policy (which is a legal requirement for all motorists in the UK). Please call us today to find out more.

Common Causes Of Motor Accident Claims

Based on the criteria set out above, you need to prove that somebody else caused your accident or crash (or other types of RTA) by being negligent. This could mean they caused a motor accident by:

• Speeding or driving aggressively (including road rage).
• Being distracted by their satnav, mobile phone or radio.
• Were over the legal limit for alcohol or drugs.
• Pulled out in front of you when there was not enough space to do so.
• Crashed into the back of you at a junction.
• Knocked you off your bike by opening their car door without looking.

These are just a few examples of when you could make a motor accident claim. If you’d like us to review the accident you were involved in, please get in touch.

Common Motor Accident Claims We Could Help Claim Compensation For

Some of the most common motor accident and injury claims we deal with include:

If the type of motoring accident you’ve been injured in isn’t shown above, don’t worry, we could still process a motor injury claim for you if you’re eligible to claim.

Common Injuries Caused By Motor Vehicle Accidents That You Be Compensated For

Essentially, any injury sustained in a no-fault motoring accident could lead to compensation. Some common motor injury compensation claims are based on:

If you believe that you’ve been injured in a motoring accident caused by somebody else, speak to us today by calling 0800 6524 881 to see if you can start a motor injury claim.

Updated Laws On Claiming Compensation For Whiplash

In 2021, the UK government introduced a set of reforms to make it easier to claim compensation for whiplash injuries following a road traffic collision. Since the changes were implemented, if your claim is valued at less than £5,000 you can manage it yourself by way of an online portal. As this process doesn’t pay legal fees, it’s not cost-effective for personal injury solicitors to deal with lower-value claims.

However, as it can be tricky to determine a value for a motor accident claim without proper advice, we’d advise giving us a call for free legal advice. One of our solicitors could still help if the value of your whiplash claim is high enough or we’ll direct you to the claims portal if not.

How Much Compensation Do You Get For A Motor Accident Claim?

If you make a successful motor accident compensation claim following an RTA, the settlement paid out could cover:

• Any physical pain and suffering.
• Loss of amenity (the impact your injuries had on your usual activities).
• Psychiatric injuries – anxiety, stress, PTSD etc.
• Care costs.
• Medical expenses.
• Travel expenses.
• Personal property damage.
• Loss of earnings (along with future loss of income in some cases).
• Home adaptations or mobility aids if you’re left with a disability.

If you’re represented by a solicitor on our team, they’ll try to secure the compensation that fully covers all of your sufferings.

Motor Injury Compensation Calculator

We can’t say exactly what settlement you might receive following a motor accident. That is something your solicitor will be able to do after they’ve received medical reports back from an independent expert. However, we have used the latest compensation ranges from the Judicial College in our compensation calculator to show you what could be awarded for some relevant injuries:

Please bear in mind that these figures are not guaranteed as each motor injury claim is unique and any settlement will depend on the severity of your injuries.

Evidence To Support A Motor Accident Claim

Following a motoring accident, there are some steps you should take to ensure any injuries are treated quickly and to gather evidence to help prove who caused the accident. These steps include:

• Calling the emergency services. If anybody is seriously injured, you must call 999 so that an ambulance is called and the police are informed.
• Exchange important details with the other driver. Ask for their contact details and information about their insurance policy. It is an offence if either party fails to provide these details. Also, write down the other vehicle’s colour, make, model and registration number.
• Take photographs. It is a really good idea to take photographs (if it’s safe to do so) before any motor vehicles are moved (if possible). Try to show the layout of the accident scene and also take pictures of where the damage is on each vehicle.
• Seek medical attention. If an ambulance is not called, any injuries should be examined by a doctor. If you decide to claim, your solicitor can request for your medical records to be forwarded to them.
• Secure dashcam footage. Remember to save the footage from your dashcam if your vehicle is fitted with one.
• Speak to witnesses. Ask any witnesses for their contact details in case your solicitor needs a statement from them. Also, ask them to forward any dashcam footage from their vehicle.

We may be able to give you a helping hand in obtaining evidence for a motor accident claim so please call us to discuss any evidence you may or may not already have.

Split Liability Motor Insurance Claims

In some motor injury claims, both parties might have been partially to blame for what happened. For example, if two vehicles reversed out of a car parking space at the same time and collided, they could both be equally to blame for the incident.

In split liability claims, your solicitor and the defendant insurer would need to agree on the percentage of responsibility. For example, it might be true that the defendant was 75% to blame but you played a smaller part (25%) in the accident. In this scenario, your compensation would be calculated as normal but then reduced by 25% before it was paid.

No Insurance/Hit & Run Claims

If you were involved in an accident where the other driver failed to stop or was not insured, you could still make a motor injury claim. The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) is a scheme set up by the government and paid for by a levy on insurance premiums. Our solicitors can help with the MIB and hit and run claims so don’t hesitate to call to see if you could still be awarded the compensation you deserve.

Time Limits For Claiming Motor Injury Compensation

As you may know already, there is a 3-year time limit for road traffic personal injury claims in the UK. For motoring injury claims, this will begin on the day of the accident usually. However, if you’re concerned you might not have long enough left to claim compensation please don’t hesitate in contacting our advisors to double-check.

In the case of a child being injured in a motoring accident, their time limit does not begin until they turn 18 years of age. Therefore, a parent or guardian could become a litigation friend and claim on their behalf at any point before then.

We believe the claims process is easier the sooner you begin so call our team today to start the ball rolling.

Starting The Motor Accident Claims Process

Please feel free to call our advice line on 0800 6524 881 if you would like to discuss your options. Our advisors are specially trained to talk you through the motor accident claims process and to assess your chances of being compensated.

If your claim is taken on by one of our solicitors, they’ll be working on it on a No Win No Fee basis meaning you will only pay legal fees if the claim is successful.

For further advice about motor accident claims, please give us a call or connect to our live chat service to speak to an advisor.