Fatal accident & wrongful death compensation claims

Adjusting to life without a partner or spouse can be incredibly difficult. Even more so if you were reliant on their income. This can leave you and your family in a very stressful and uncertain financial situation.

A successful fatal accident claim will not only provide compensation for the pain and suffering caused by the death of a loved one, but also the financial contribution that the deceased would have made to the family in the future. This could be lost income or the loss of services they provided, like housekeeping or childcare.

The death of a non-dependent family member can cause considerable financial strain because of the cost of funeral arrangements, legal fees and other expenses. You may also be worried about losing your home if the property was owned by your loved one and wasn't left to you in their will. Fatal injury claim damages can help you to overcome these challenges.

We've helped many people make compensation of death claims over the last years_since years. In that time, we've learned that no two cases are the same. We may be able to help you with fatal injury claims involving the following incidents.

Road traffic accidents

Department of Transport figures show an estimated 1,645 fatalities were caused by road collisions in Great Britain in 2023. Reckless driving at speed, drivers under the influence and weather conditions are some of the most common causes of road traffic accidents, injuries and fatalities. Fatal road accident claims can also include:

• Car accidents
• Car & taxi passenger accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Cycle accidents
• Bus, coach & minibus claims

Workplace accidents

In 2023/24, 138 workers were killed in work-related accidents according to RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) figures. The construction industry was responsible for most fatal workplace accidents, followed by agriculture, forestry, and fishing and manufacturing. Fatal accidents at work can happen because of:

• Dangerous machinery accidents
• Falls from a height
• Industrial and construction accidents
• Chemical burns and injuries
• Offshore accidents
• Military injuries
• Electric shock injuries

Industrial diseases and illnesses

Compensation for death at work may also be awarded if someone has passed away because of a condition caused or made worse by their profession. This could involve:

• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Asbestosis
• Emphysema

Health and social care professionals can make mistakes, and they do. Delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis are some forms of medical negligence that may have contributed to or resulted in the death of your loved one. We're here to give you free, impartial advice on the matter.

We can also help with other medical negligence death compensation cases such as:

• GP negligence
• Hospital negligence
• NHS negligence
• A&E negligence
• Clinical negligence
• Care home negligence

81% of NHS Resolution cases in England were resolved without the need for legal proceedings in 2023/24. This means most medical negligence claims are settled out of court or dropped before its needed.

If you want to talk to us about medical negligence resulting in death compensation, call us on . We're ready to listen.

Fatal accident claims can be made on the victim's behalf or behalf of their dependants, the people reliant on their income. We explore these terms relating to compensation of death.

Victim's claim

Wrongful death compensation can be claimed on behalf of the person who died. The deceased may have endured financial losses, such as for treatment costs or time taken off work, between the time of their injury and their death. You may be able to claim these costs back on their behalf. You can also claim for the pain and suffering they experienced in this period.

Dependant's claim

Just as importantly, a dependant's claim can be made to support the people supported by or reliant on the income of the person who passed away. The Fatal Accidents Act (1976) states that if you were partially or entirely financially dependent on your loved one, you can make a case to recover the losses associated with that financial support.

People who can be included in a dependant's claim include:

• Children
• Parents or guardians
• Grandchildren
• Grandparents
• Siblings
• Aunts and uncles
• Children of siblings, aunts and uncles
• Husbands and wives
• Former husbands and wives
• Partners cohabiting for two years or more

In addition to a victim's and dependant's claim, you may also be able to receive a statutory award for bereavement. Under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976, this is a fixed amount of £15,120 which can be shared between dependants if there's more than one.

The sum acts as recognition that the death of your family member was wrongful. It also helps to compensate for the suffering that you've experienced.

A Remedial Order came into effect in October 2020, meaning that partners cohabiting for more than two years before death can now receive the statutory award for bereavement.

Yes, there is. Typically, you have three years from the date your loved one died to start a fatal accident claim and issue court proceedings. This is called the limitation period. The three years may also start from the date it was discovered an accident or illness was the cause of their death, even if it's after their passing.

If the deceased was in the process of dealing with a personal injury claim when they passed, the three-year deadline would begin again from the date of their death. This way, you have the right to start your fatal injury compensation claim.

We understand that you've been through a traumatic experience, which is why we aim to make the fatal accident claims process as simple and supportive as possible.

To start the process, simply give us a call on or request a call back at the top or bottom of the page. Our friendly helpline advisors will listen to your story and ask a few basic questions. There's no obligation to proceed and it's free to talk with us.

If we think you've got grounds for a wrongful death claim, we'll connect you with one of our specialist partner solicitors from our nationwide panel of experts. They'll explain the whole process and guide you through the next steps.

Your legal team will handle everything from gathering evidence to negotiating fatal injury compensation, leaving you free to focus on more important matters.

No two cases are the same, so there's no way to tell how long a claim takes until your legal team starts to gather information. The timeline usually depends on various factors, including:

• The type of accident, injury or illness that caused your loved one's death
• If the other party admits liability or not
• If any delays occur (such as waiting for medical records, police reports or court dates)

Most of our fatal accident claims are made on a no win no fee basis. This means the process of making a claim is financially low risk to you, provided you take out no-upfront-cost insurance and follow the terms and conditions. Your legal team should help arrange this for you.

If your claim is unsuccessful, you won't have to pay anything. The no-upfront-cost insurance arranged for you should cover legal fees and other costs. If your compensation of death claim is a success, you'll pay a fixed percentage of your compensation amount to your legal team. This will be agreed between you and your solicitor before starting the claims process.

Fatal accident compensation cases are often settled without going all the way to court. However, if the other party won't take responsibility for the death of your loved one, your legal team may think about pursuing a case in court. But even if the courts are needed, your legal team should be able to attend on your behalf anyway.

No amount of compensation can ever make up for the loss you've suffered. But compensation of death can help make things easier going forward. Here are just a few of the reasons to trust us with your claim:

• We're registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority so our work is held to the highest standards.
• The expert solicitors in our country-wide panel are regulated by The Law Society in England and Wales or the Law Society of Scotland.
• We have an 'Excellent' rating on Trustpilot and thousands of positive reviews highlighting our work on cases like yours.

If your loved one lost their life in an accident that wasn't their fault, we're here to help. Getting in touch is free and there's no obligation to proceed with a claim if you don't want to.

When you're ready, call us on or fill in our callback form to talk at a time that suits you.