Fatal Accidents – A Claim Following A Hit And Run

At Nayyars, we regularly act for clients who have lost loved ones as a result of fatal accidents. These kind of cases require the sensitivity of “face to face” Solicitors who understand that whilst no amount of money will ever compensate for the loss suffered, it can go a long way to relieving some of the financial pressures experienced along the way.

We recently acted for the parents of a seven year old girl who had been fatally injured following a hit and run outside a Supermarket. The person responsible had stolen a prestige vehicle and was speeding at the time. He was later caught by the police and sentenced to nine years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving.

Understandably, both parents had suffered severe psychological trauma as a result and were unable to return to work. From the moment of the initial meeting with the clients, the team working on this case were heartbroken for them and were determined to secure the best possible outcome. We always work hard for our clients but fatal injury cases always bring the team together.

There is a bereavement award available following a person’s death to their spouse or parents if the deceased is a child under the age of 18. This award is set at £12,980.00, which seems inadequate for such a loss, but is set low as a matter of public policy (basically so as not to provide any real financial incentive for losing a child or spouse). We were able to secure and present our clients with a cheque for this sum within 12 weeks of receiving initial instructions. We understood the need to keep things as simple as possible for them, and to keep things moving without complication.

In these type of cases, we are also able to secure any funeral expenses incurred. We understand how expensive funerals can be and we fight to recover the costs from the Defendant. This family will never recover from the death of their daughter, but no one should struggle with debt as a result of a fatal accident.

We are now pursuing secondary victim claims on behalf of both parents. It is important that they get the financial support that they need to create space so that they can best cope with their psychological injuries. Both have suffered PTSD as a result of witnessing the death of their child, and often experience flashbacks of what happened. Whilst we can’t even begin to imagine what that’s like, we know that there’s something we can do to make it easier for them. Nayyars have a reputation for standing in the gap and fighting for clients that don’t have the energy or ability to fight for themselves.

Abigail Smith

Litigation Assistant