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Fatal Accident Compensation Claims

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Services in: Fatal Accident Compensation Claims

    • Coping With Bereavement

Losing a loved one in a fatal accident is one of the most traumatic experiences anyone can go through. We understand the difficulties you can face and could help you claim compensation for the loss you’ve suffered.

Our team of fatal accident solicitors can help you and your family find out what caused your loved one's accident and who was responsible.

As well as coping with the grief of losing a loved one, you may also be worried about the financial impact it will have on your family. We could help you claim fatal accident compensation to help make sure you and your family have the money you need to get through this difficult time.

Can I Make A Fatal Accident Claim?

We have helped many people claim compensation after losing loved ones in:

  • Road traffic accidents
  • Medical accidents
  • Accidents at work.

If a family member has died in unusual or unclear circumstances, their death may be reported to a coroner who might decide to hold an inquest.

Our team of solicitors will not only help you recover the compensation you're entitled to - they'll be there for you whenever you need them. For more information on how we support grieving families please visit our bereavement page.

How Long Do I Have To Make A Fatal Injury Claim?

In the UK, you’ll have three years to make a fatal injury claim. The time limit usually starts from the date of the injury or accident.

In some cases, the time limit can start from when you realised injuries from an accident caused the death of your loved one.

Can I Make A No Win No Fee Fatal Injury Compensation Claim?

Most of the claims we handle are on a No Win No Fee basis. This means that you don't need to worry about paying anything upfront and that you won’t have to pay any legal fees if your claim isn’t successful*.

If you need expert legal representation at the inquest or at any other time, our dedicated fatal accident lawyers will be on hand to guide you through the process.

How Much Fatal Accident Compensation Can I Claim?

We understand that losing a loved one in a fatal accident could affect your finances . Your compensation can help you cover some of the costs you could face if you have to make these payments by yourself. We’ll work out how much compensation you’ll get depending on a number of things including:

  • The pain or suffering your loved one could have experienced
  • Funeral costs
  • Medical expenses
  • Loss of benefits like pensions.

Everyone’s circumstances are different, but we’ll make sure your compensation covers your needs so you can rest assured you and your family will be financially secure.

Why Choose Irwin Mitchell?

Our serious injury team have decades of experience in helping families deal with the loss of a loved one. We’ll be there to support you every step of the way, from making a claim to guiding you through an inquest.

As a full service law firm, you’ll also benefit from advice in other areas of law if you need it. Our probate solicitors and financial advisors can help you deal with a loved one’s estate. Our asset management team can also help manage a compensation settlement so it lasts as long as possible.

We’re ranked as experts in fatal injury claims by independent legal guides such as Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. You can rest assured we’ll work closely with you to make sure we understand your situation and needs.

Contact Us

For a free initial consultation call us on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online and we'll get back to you.

Links with Road Peace and other charities
Expert representation at inquests
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Claire Newstead
Claire Newstead Partner Meet the team

Fatal Accident Claims - More Information

Firstly, we’ll talk about your situation in a free initial consultation. We’ll explain how the inquest and claims processes work and talk about the funding options available to pay for your case.

We’ll then collect evidence to support your fatal accident claim and use this to work out a compensation amount that meets your needs and circumstances. We’ll keep you updated with what’s happening throughout your claim, explaining the process to you each step of the way.

After we’ve collected evidence for your case, we’ll contact those responsible for your loved one’s death and try to reach a settlement that meets your needs, as well asking them to apologise for your loss.

Most fatal accident claims are settled out of court. However, if we can’t reach a sum that we feel is fair and reasonable or if the opposing party won't accept fault, we’ll start court proceedings to get the compensation and answers you deserve.

The length of your claim will vary depending on how complex the case is and whether the opposing party accepts fault for the accident that led to your loved one losing their life.

Our lawyers can support you in a number of ways following a fatal accident. We’re aware that, aside from the trauma of sudden bereavement, losing a loved one can have a big impact on your finances. We’ll fight to make sure that you and your family have the money you need to get through this difficult time.

We can get you compensation for any pain and suffering your loved one may have experienced, as well as paying for necessary costs like:

  • Funeral costs
  • Household expenses
  • Medical expenses
  • Loss of benefits (such as pension rights)
  • Childcare costs
  • Counselling services

We make most fatal accident claims using a no win no fee agreement.

No win no fee means that there’s no financial risk to you in making a claim. An insurance policy will be set up to protect your interests, so you won’t lose any money, no matter what the outcome of your fatal accident claim is. If your claim is successful your legal costs will be paid by your opponent and taken from your settlement. If it's not successful then you won't pay anything at all*.

We'll discuss no win no fee and other ways to pay for your claim in your first free consultation with one of our experts.

Our team of solicitors have years of experience helping families come to terms with the loss of a loved one after a fatal accident. They're supported by an investigation team who are experts at finding the evidence and information needed to support your claim for compensation, including former police investigators.

We have unrivalled experience helping families at inquests. We can provide expert advice and arrange representation at the inquest should you require it.

We can also provide assistance with:

  • Dealing with a loved one’s estate with our in-house probate team
  • Advice from our independent financial advisers
  • Setting up a personal injury trust to make sure your compensation is not taken into account when deciding if you’re entitled to benefits. This can also protect your interests going into the future.

I valued the honesty of the solicitor that I dealt with. The approachability and the humanness. They were caring."

Stephanie, client

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Represent Me At An Inquest?

When a person dies in unexpected or unclear circumstances an inquest may be held to help get answers. 

An inquest is a public hearing into the reasons why a person has died. If the reasons why your loved one died are unclear then you may be asked to attend an inquest to get answers to these questions. While this may seem daunting, inquests are usually quite relaxed and most of them are held without a jury or other lawyers present.

We can represent you at an inquest if necessary and guide you through it before we meet with the coroner’s office and the police on your behalf. We'll request early access to any documents that may be used during the inquest. Should you need it, we can also question witnesses before the inquest takes place. The most important thing is finding out why your loved one died – which will always be taken into consideration when we represent you at an inquest. 

If your loved one died after undergoing medical care or treatment, we can help you get answers from the NHS or medical professional that treated them. For more information on this, visit our Medical Negligence Fatal Claims page.

Can I Make A Fatal Accident Claim?

If you’ve lost a loved one in a fatal accident you could claim compensation for the emotional suffering you and your family are going through.

Compensation can also help to support you and your family if your financial situation has changed. Anyone who was dependent on the deceased could claim compensation.

These claims are designed to protect you financially and can help pay for things like child care, funeral costs and other things that you may need. A ‘dependent’ can be one of the following people related to the deceased:

  • Husband or wife
  • Former spouse (married for at least two years)
  • Children
  • Parents
  • Partner who has lived with them for over two years.

You usually have three years from the time of the accident to claim for compensation, but we’ll talk this through in your free initial consultation. Call us free on 0800 056 4110.

What Is A Statutory Bereavement Award?

Our serious injury experts can offer you advice on statutory bereavement awards and other state benefits.

This award is currently a fixed sum of £15,120 and can be awarded in addition to personal injury compensation, which you can claim separately. This award can be paid to a child who was under 18 at the time of the fatal accident, or the husband/wife of the deceased.

This can help pay for:

  • Funeral expenses (although these can be compensated for separately)
  • The return home of your loved one’s body if they were abroad when they died
  • Loss of earnings.

Read more about statutory bereavement awards.

Read More FAQs

Related Information - Fatal Accident Claims

Asset Management - our asset management team can advise you on how to take care of your compensation
Bereavement - we help grieving families seek answers after a traumatic experience
Personal Injury Trusts - we could help you set up a trust to protect your eligibility for benefits
Public Law & Human Rights - our Public Law & Human Rights team can help you defend your rights

Scottish Flag All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to funding is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means as well as a separate funding agreement.

*To make a No Win No Fee claim, you need to enter into an agreement that's linked to a suitable insurance policy. We'll explain this in more detail before we start your claim.

About Irwin Mitchell

Founded in Sheffield in 1912, Irwin Mitchell has always been a bit different. Our advisers really get to know the people and business that we help.

It's what we call 'expert hand, human touch'.

We have offices around the UK so wherever you are, our experts can help.

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