How Much Compensation Can I Claim For A Taxi Accident?

By Jo Anderson. Last Updated 20th February 2024. Welcome to our guide about making a taxi passenger accident claim. In it, we discuss what to do if you’re a passenger in a taxi crash that is injured and would like to claim taxi accident compensation. We also look at taxi passenger insurance in detail.

When we get in a taxi, we expect to be taken from A to B. We do not expect to be involved in an accident. If you were in a taxi or a minicab, and a crash occurred, you will be able to seek compensation for the injuries you have sustained. In fact, you are advised to do so. After all, why should you have to suffer because of an accident that was not your fault? In this guide, we’ll look at claiming compensation for a car accident as a taxi passenger.

At Accident Claims, we have helped so many people to secure compensation when they have been involved in a road traffic accident, including cases involving taxis and minibuses. With our 40+ years of experience, you will struggle to find better. You can find out more about our service below, including our No Win No Fee approach, and our no-obligation consultation that we provide free of charge.

To find out more or start your claim, call our personal injury claims team on 0800 073 8801. They’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week to take your call. And they offer completely free legal advice, with no obligation on your part to make a claim.

A fleet of taxi's on the road

Choose a Section

  1. Can I Make A Taxi Accident Claim?
  2. Taxi Accident Claim Time Limits
  3. What Can Cause A Taxi Accident?
  4. What Evidence Can Support A Taxi Accident Claim?
  5. How Is The Compensation For A Taxi Accident Claim Calculated?
  6. Taxi Accident Passenger Claim – Can I Claim For Whiplash?
  7. Making A Taxi Accident Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor

Can I Make A Taxi Accident Claim?

If you’ve been injured in a taxi crash, as a motorist, passenger or other type of road user, you may wish to know whether you could claim compensation.

Road users owe one another a duty of care to use the roads in a manner that prevents others or themselves from becoming harmed. Furthermore, they must follow the rules and regulations found in the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code.

To be eligible to make a personal injury claim for a road traffic accident, you must be able to prove:

  1. Another road user owed you a duty of care.
  2. This duty of care was breached.
  3. Due to this, you were injured.

If you have been injured as a taxi passenger, who you make your claim against will depend on who breached their duty of care. You may make your claim against another road user or the driver of the taxi you were in.

To learn more about the eligibility criteria for taxi accident claims, or to receive free advice for your case, you can contact our advisory team.

Taxi Accident Claim Time Limits

If you are interested in making a taxi accident claim, it’s important to make sure that you start your claim within the time limit. Usually, this is three years from the date of your injuries. However, there are some exceptions to this.

For example, for those under the age of 18, the taxi crash time limit is frozen until the day they turn 18. Then, it runs until their 21st birthday. Someone else can claim on their behalf at any time during this period as their litigation friend.

If the claimant does not have the mental capacity to make a claim, then the time limit is frozen and a litigation friend can make a claim on their behalf. If they are able to recover the appropriate capacity, then the time limit will begin on the date of their recovery.

To learn more about the taxi accident claim time limit or to get free legal advice on claiming for a taxi crash, contact our team of advisors today.

What Can Cause A Taxi Accident?

As discussed above, taxi drivers must adhere to the relevant rules and laws while using the roads. However, not every accident involving a taxi will be due to the taxi driver being at fault. As we mentioned earlier, who you would make your claim against would depend on who breached their duty of care. This may be the taxi driver or another road user.

Here are a few examples of how a taxi accident could cause the passengers to sustain injuries:

  • The taxi driver suddenly stopping or swerving. For example, a taxi driver may have to stop suddenly at a red light due to being distracted by their phone. This could cause you to suffer whiplash or other type of neck injury as a passenger in the taxi.
  • Hit and run accident. For example, the taxi driver may be using the roads safely but another driver could be speeding, cause a crash and then drive off. This could cause you to suffer from multiple injuries, such as a broken leg and a head injury.
  • Unsafe driving. The taxi driver may be driving unsafely or another road user may be failing to adhere to road traffic laws. For example, a collision could occur due to another driver failing to adhere to the rules of a roundabout. This could cause you to suffer a shoulder injury.

Direct any questions about road traffic accident claims to a member of our advisory team. They can discuss the taxi accident that caused your injuries.

What Evidence Can Support A Taxi Accident Claim?

If you are eligible to make a taxi passenger accident claim, you will need to provide evidence to support your case.

The types of evidence that might be useful in taxi accident claims include:

  • Police reports – If the police have made a report of the accident, this could be useful in supporting your claim.
  • Witness contact details – If somebody has witnessed the taxi accident you were injured in, take down their details. This allows a professional to take their statement later.
  • CCTV footage – Video footage or photographs of the accident or the accident scene can be used to illustrate how it occurred.
  • Medical evidence – A copy of your medical records can help illustrate the injuries you suffered and how severe they are. 

To learn more about the types of evidence that could support your claim, please contact one of our advisors. They can offer more information, and could potentially connect you with one of our solicitors, if you have valid grounds to proceed with your case.

An evidence notebook that could be helpful for the claims process.

How Is The Compensation For A Taxi Accident Claim Calculated?

If you make a successful taxi accident claim, you may be awarded general and special damages.

General damages compensate you for the suffering and pain caused by your injuries. When calculating a taxi passenger accident claim in general damages, solicitors could refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) for assistance., as it provides guideline compensation amounts for a range of injuries at different levels of severity. We have created a table with some figures from the JCG, except for the entry at the top.

Edit
Reason for claiming compensation Value Bracket Extra notes
Multiple severe injuries with special damages Up to £1,000,000+ For severe multiple injuries that, when combined, cause significant pain and disability and financial costs.
Very severe brain damage (a) £282,010 to £403,990 When it comes to this payout amount, the individual will not have much, if any of all, meaningful response to the environment. The person will receive compensation based on their degree of insight, life expectancy, and their physical limitations.
Severe neck injuries (a)(i) In the region of
£148,330		 Neck injuries of the most severe kind, often resulting in paralysis of some form.
Moderate neck injuries (b) (I-iii) £7,890 to £38,490 This is for dislocations and fractures that are of a lower severity than has been mentioned above. You can also receive a payout falling into this category if the taxi or minicab accident you have been involved in has exacerbated a condition you were already suffering with.
Arm injury (b) £39,170 to £59,860 Serious fractures to one or both forearms that results in permanent residual disability.
Moderate foot injury (f) £13,740 to £24,990 Displaced metatarsal fractures that cause continuing symptoms and result in a permanent deformity.
Less serious leg injury (c) (ii) £9,110 to £14,080 Simple femur fractures with no damage to the articular surfaces.
Minor back injuries (c) Up to £12,510 If you are expected to make a full recovery within a couple of months, you will receive a payout of around in the few-hundred pound mark in most instances. Aside from this, many different factors will be used to decipher your payout amount. This could be anything from the treatment you require to the impact of the injuries on your ability to work.
Whiplash injury £4,345 Whiplash with psychological injuries lasting between 18 and 24 months
Whiplash injury £4,215 Whiplash lasting between 18 and 24 months

As mentioned, you may also be eligible for special damages to compensate you for out-of-pocket expenses caused by your injuries. You will need to keep hold of evidence of such costs to support any claim for special damages, such as receipts or invoices. Some examples of the losses you could be compensated for include:

  • Loss of income.
  • Care costs.
  • Travel costs.
  • Medical expenses.

To see whether you could be eligible to make a personal injury claim following a taxi crash, you can contact our advisors.

Taxi Accident Passenger Claim – Can I Claim For Whiplash?

If you are a passenger in a car accident and would like to claim for whiplash, how you claim might be different than a traditional personal injury claim. This is because of the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021. If the injury you suffered as a passenger in a taxi accident is valued at £5,000 or less, you will need to make your claim through a different avenue.

The Whiplash Injury Regulations apply to passengers and drivers in vehicles aged 18 and over if they suffered their injuries on or after 31st May 2021. A tariff in the regulations will apply to your compensation for your car accident passenger claim based on how severe your minor injury is. You will be expected to attend a medical exam to prove the injuries you suffered as a passenger in a taxi accident.

Before you make a car accident passenger claim, you may wish to consult with a solicitor. Once your claim is settled, it cannot be reopened, even if further injuries become apparent.

Making A Taxi Accident Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor

If you have been injured as a passenger in a taxi, then you could seek help from a solicitor if you decide to make a personal injury claim. If you contact our advisors, they could review your personal injury claim for you. If they find you have a valid case, they may then connect you with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors.

Additionally, if they agree to take on your case, they may offer to represent you in your claim under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Under this agreement, you won’t need to pay any upfront or ongoing fees for their services. Furthermore, if your claim is unsuccessful, there’s no need to pay your solicitor for the services they’ve provided.

Your solicitor will be paid a success fee if your claim is a successful one. This fee is a small percentage deducted from the personal injury compensation awarded to you that is subjected to a legal limit.

For more information regarding taxi accident claims or working with a No Win No Fee solicitor, you can contact our advisors today. You can reach our team by:

A solicitor discusses a taxi accident compensation claim.

We have some other guides that you may find useful:

Call us to start your taxi passenger accident claim today.