Fatal Accident Examples – Check If You Can Claim Compensation

Cyclist getting hit by a car resulting in a fatal accident

This guide will look at fatal accident examples and when you can claim compensation for the wrongful death of a loved one. If your loved one has passed away as a result of negligence, then you could be entitled to make a claim.

Please contact Accident Claims UK today to see if you are eligible to claim fatal accident compensation. If we can see that you can claim compensation, we can connect you with a skilled fatal accident lawyer to handle your claim. Furthermore, we can offer you free legal advice about claiming compensation.

Please get in touch with us today to enquire about making a fatal accident claim:

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Fatal Accident Examples

Fatal accidents are ones that cause someone to lose their life. They can happen in a number of different circumstances.

Fatal accident examples include:

You could be owed a duty of care in a number of different scenarios. For example:

  • Under the Occupier’s Liability Act 1957, those in control of public spaces have a duty of care towards those who use the space for the purpose intended.
  • Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers owe a duty of care to the people they employ. This states that they need to take reasonable steps to ensure their safety.
  • The Road Traffic Act 1988 outlines the duty of care on the road. The Highway Code contains rules and guidelines for proper and safe road conduct. Sometimes, the rules in the Code are elsewhere found in legislation, and so are legal requirements.

If this duty of care is breached, then a fatal injury could occur as a result. Provided that you have proof that the fatal injuries were caused by negligence, you could be entitled to make a fatal accident claim.

Fatal Accident Statistics

We will now look at the causes of accidents at work in Britain that resulted in death in 2021/22. Work-related injuries led to 123 deaths over this period, according to reports made to the Health and Safety Executive. The most common cause of fatal injuries at work falls from a height, which caused 29 fatalities in 2021/22.

What Should Happen After A Fatal Accident?

After a fatal accident, the police may investigate the accident to see if gross negligence contributed to the accident. Now let’s look at how you should report different fatal accident examples.

Employers must report fatal accidents to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases & Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR).

If you are involved in a road traffic accident, then this may need to be reported to the police. The Metropolitan Police state that a car accident should be reported if:

  • Anyone is in danger
  • Someone has been seriously injured
  • You have reason to believe that someone has committed a serious offence
  • The road is obstructed or blocked

For further guidance on fatal accident examples that could entitle you to claim, speak with an advisor today.

How To Make A Fatal Accident Claim

The Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934 is a piece of legislation that means that the estate of the deceased can make a claim for the pain and suffering they experienced as a result of a fatal accident caused by negligence. The estate of the deceased can claim on behalf of any dependents, too.

Under The Fatal Accidents Act 1976, dependents of the deceased can claim for the impact the deceased’s death has had on them. For the first six months, a claim for the deceased can only be made by the estate, but if one has not been made by this point, then dependents could claim.

Dependents, as defined in the Fatal Accidents Act, include:

  • A husband or wife
  • A cohabiting partner who lives with the deceased as a spouse for 2 years before their death
  • The parents of a minor who was not married

For more information on whether you could be entitled to make a fatal accident claim, speak with our team today.

Fatal Accidents Compensation

In a fatal accident claim, compensation can be awarded for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity the person experienced before death because of a fatal accident. This head of a claim is known as general damages.

We have included the table below, containing guideline compensation brackets for a range of potentially fatal injuries:

Edit
Form Of Compensation Damages About The Award
Death Plus Add-On To The Claim Up to £550,000 or more The award could cover the pain and suffering of the deceased as well as losses faced by dependents of the deceased.
Tetraplegia £324,600 to £403,990 The award could take factors such as the person’s age, their life expectancy and what pain or suffering they experienced into account.
Paraplegia £219,070 to £284,260 The award could take account of how old the person is, how long they are expected to live, how independent they may be and what pain they experience.
Very Severe Brain Damage £282,010 to £403,990 Persons will show little to no meaningful response to their environment and will need full time care.
Moderately Severe Brain Damage £291,070 to £282,010 The person will be left with serious disabilities and will be substantially dependent on other people for care.
Severe Psychiatric Damage £54,830 to £115,730 The person is left with severe problems in coping with relationships, education or work.

The brackets are based on 16th edition compensation guidelines published by the Judicial College, last updated in 2022. However, they should only be used as guidance and not as guarantees.

In addition, you could claim a bereavement award which is currently set at £15,120. This can only be paid to:

  • A husband or wife
  • A cohabiting partner who lives with the deceased as a spouse for 2 years before their death
  • The parents of a minor who was not married

A payment for funeral expenses could also be made. Furthermore, dependents could receive an award for loss of services (if the deceased performed services such as DIY or driving family members to work) and loss of consortium (can also be known as the loss of a special person).

For further information on what could be included in a claim after a loved one has died as a result of negligence, speak with a member of our team. They could also discuss fatal accident examples and confirm if you have a valid case.

Talk To Accident Claims UK Today

Please get in touch with our team today to see if you can claim compensation for a fatal accident. If we can see you have enough evidence to support your claim, we can help you. A skilled personal injury lawyer can work on your case.

What’s more, your claim can be handled on a No Win No Fee basis; specifically, you will be represented under a kind of No Win No Fee agreement called a Conditional Fee Agreement.

When you make a No Win No Fee claim, you generally won’t pay any legal fees before you begin your claim or as it progresses. If your claim is not a success, you generally do not pay for the services your solicitor has provided.

If you win your claim, you will pay a success fee. This fee is legally capped, meaning that you will not be overcharged by your lawyer.

To learn more about making a No Win No Fee compensation claim or to discuss fatal accident examples, please get in touch with us using the details below:

Related Fatal Accident Claims

We have included links to our guides below for further reference:

Road Traffic Accident Compensation Claims Guide

Clinical & Medical Negligence Claims Guide – How To Claim Compensation

How Much Compensation Can I Claim for a Medical Misdiagnosis Negligence?

We have also included the external links below that you could find useful:

Get help with grief after bereavement or loss from the NHS

Information from the government on bereavement support payments.

Advice on what to do after a death from Citizens Advice.

We hope that our guide on fatal accident examples has been useful. If you have any more questions, please get in touch.

Guide by HC

Publisher FS