Contact us to arrange your FREE initial consultation
Car drivers are required by law to have motor insurance. This ensures that if a passenger, pedestrian or other road user is injured as a result of their negligence, the injured victim can obtain financial compensation for their injuries and losses.
If a driver, pedestrian or other road user has been seriously injured as a result of a car accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, they may be entitled to compensation.
We have helped clients make car accident injury claims when they were:
Where someone has died as a result of negligence in a car accident, a claim may be made on behalf of their partner, dependants or those entitled under their estate.
We have also recovered compensation for clients who have suffered severe psychological injury from witnessing their child, parent or partner’s death or injury in an accident that was caused by somebody else.
Our experienced car accident claims lawyers help individuals and their families recover, rehabilitate and rebuild their lives after devastating injury following an accident.
Even where the driver was not insured to drive the car, or is untraced after leaving the scene of a hit and run, the insurance industry will often compensate the injured victim via the Motor Insurer’s Bureau (MIB).
The law and the insurance industry recognise that car accidents can cause life-changing injuries, and that those who are injured as a result of negligence are entitled to compensation.
Start Your Car Accident Claim
Our clients receive the highest standards of advice and representation and are always treated with compassion, outstanding care and understanding of the physical, emotional, psychological and financial impact that life-changing injuries can have upon their lives.
Call our specialist legal teams Monday - Friday, 9:00 - 17.30 for free, no obligation advice.
Complete our simple form to start your claim and get a call back back from our expert legal team.
The first step to take is to get in touch with us to find out if we can help you with your car accident claim. Our initial consultation is free of charge and we will ask you some questions about the circumstances of the accident and the injuries you have sustained.
If we establish that you have a claim and you decide to instruct our car accident solicitors, we will then start gathering evidence for your case from witnesses, the police and medical reports from the hospital. Next we will notify the person or organisation at fault of your car accident and they will be allowed a period of time to investigate and advise whether they accept fault for your accident. Once we have all the necessary information and reports about the accident and the injuries you have suffered, we will then be in a better position to advise you on the level of compensation you should expect to receive. We will contact the other party and we will start negotiations.
Car accidents are often caused by one or more of the following driver errors:
Claims can also be made against the council, highway authority or other agencies responsible for safety on the road, if the car accident was caused by their negligence, including:
We have helped recover compensation for clients after car accidents left them with injuries including:
We investigate each client’s claim carefully and obtain expert medical evidence to ensure that we understand the full extent of our client’s injuries and the impact of any disability on their life. The amount of compensation that an injured client or a bereaved family receives depends on the injured person’s injury and their individual circumstances. Serious injury claims may include compensation for:
Where loss of dependency, replacing the loss of the deceased’s income and/or services, such as:
Car accidents and resulting injuries can have more than one cause. When the injured person’s own behaviour was partly to blame for their injuries in an accident that was caused by someone else, this is known as contributory negligence. Where the injured person’s contributory negligence increased their risk of harm from an accident or made their injuries worse, their compensation may be reduced by a percentage which represents their own part in causing their injury.
We fight insurers’ attempts to deny claims or unfairly reduce them where we believe our client deserves full or partial compensation. In cases involving severe injury, we often secure significant compensation, even if the settlement involves a reduction for contributory negligence. This financial help can be a lifeline for individuals and families affected by catastrophic injury or permanent disability, providing essential rehabilitation, specialist equipment and home adaptations, therapies, care, and support.
For this reason, if you have hesitated to claim for serious injury to a partner, child or teenager who might have been partly to blame for their own injury in an accident, we encourage you to talk to us, free and confidentially, and let us advise whether we help you make a claim which will succeed in obtaining financial help.
Common types of contributory negligence in car accident claims where we have succeeded in recovering compensation for the injured person include:
We understand the challenges faced by families as they struggle to cope and adapt after a car accident causes life-changing injury. Cars are often the preferred way for families and groups of friends to travel together, so car accidents often affect multiple people. Depending on the circumstances, feelings of guilt, blame, and loss after a traumatic accident can also harm the relationships between family and friends.
The thought of making a claim in these circumstances can seem overwhelming, but our clients discover that the extensive needs of the injured person can best be met by compensation.
Our supportive and experienced solicitors regularly bring claims for clients in sensitive circumstances, such as:
When deciding to make a claim, many clients find it helpful to remember that:
If you have been involved in a car accident that was not your fault, aside from your physical injuries you might also suffer from anxiety and/or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). All these injuries will be taken into consideration when calculating the amount of compensation you should receive.
If your car accident was caused by another driver the compensation claim for your injuries is usually paid by the company they have insurance with.
In case the driver at fault doesn’t have insurance or if it’s a hit an run accident, claims for compensation can be made directly to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). The MIB is an organisation that has been set up to provide compensation for victims of road traffic accidents (RTAs) caused by uninsured and untraced (hit and run) drivers.
Depending on the individual circumstances of each accident, serious injury claims arising from unsafe highway conditions may be made against:
It is difficult to establish exactly how long car accident claims take to settle as it does depend on several factors like the severity of injuries and/or if the other person admits they were at fault. Calculating an average time based on cases we have worked on, it can take between a couple of months to three years or more.
On rare occasions, car accident claims might also need to be defended in court, which can also have an impact on completion time.
Regardless of the time it takes to settle, we normally obtain immediate Rehabilitation Code funding to pay for our client’s seamless move from post-accident hospital care into rehabilitation.
In most car accident cases, you must start your claim within three years of the accident, but we strongly recommend starting the claim as soon as possible. Whilst the accident is fresh in your mind, it will give us the best chance of collecting the information needed to build a strong case. Also, if you have urgent rehabilitation needs, starting a claim right away might get you the funding necessary to cover these expenses through interim payments.
There are expectations to the 3 years rule, especially if the accident involves children or means a loved one can no longer decide for themselves.
From our experience working with these types of cases for over 30 years, most car accident cases settle before reaching court. In the UK it is believed only 1% of personal injury cases go to Court, so car accident claims are only a fraction of that.
Disagreement on compensation award or the other part refusing to admit fault might sometimes push cases through the Court. Going to Court can sometimes have a positive impact, however, as we might get a higher compensation amount than initially offered. What we sometimes encounter is that even when a Trial date is set, the claim can be still concluded before.
Accident at Work Claims
Accidents Abroad
Accidents at Schools
Amputation Claims
Amputation From Work Accidents
Anaphylaxis Injury
Back Injury at Work
Brand & Head Injury Claims
Child Accident Claims
Child Brain Injury
Construction Accident Claims
Contributory Negligence
Council & Highways Claims
Criminal Injury Claims
CRPS & Chronic Injury Claims
Defective Product Claims
Factory Accident Claims
Fall From Heights Claims
Farm Accident Claims
Fatal Accident Claims
Multiple Injury & Major Trauma Claims
Neonatal Hypoglycaemia Bran Injury
PTSD Claims
Spinal Injury Claims
We’ll never share your details Privacy Policy
Senior Partner
Partner
Associate Solicitor
Paralegal
Aug 2023
Mar 2022
Nov 2021
A personal injury is an injury to the body. Sometimes the physical injury or the circumstances in which that injury was suffered also leads to a psychiatric or psychological injury.
When someone is injured as a result of another person or organisation’s breach of their duty of care (negligence), the injured person may be entitled to claim compensation for their injury and its financial consequences. The claim for compensation is made against the person or organisation that was responsible for the injury and is usually met by their insurer. The legal process of claiming compensation for injuries that are caused by negligence is known as a personal injury claim.
Boyes Turner’s personal injury team specialise in claims involving severe or catastrophic injury. Most of our clients have been injured in road traffic accidents (RTAs) and accidents at work.
For compensation claims relating to injuries which occurred in England or Wales the general rule is that court proceedings must be issued (formally started) within three years of the date of the injury. In most cases, before a claim can be issued work must be carried out to investigate the claim, notify the defendant and the insurance company against whom the claim is being made and obtain a medical report to support the claim. The sooner you contact us after an injury has occurred, the sooner we can begin to help you, and the better we can investigate and prepare your claim.
Longer time limits apply to children whose three-year time period only begins to run from the age of 18, meaning that their time limit expires when they reach the age of 21.
Time limits do not apply for those who lack mental capacity. Where an injured person’s mental capacity is uncertain, we work closely with our Court of Protection team to determine whether our client has capacity to bring their own claim. As with other claims, it is always advisable to contact us as soon as possible after the injury, to ensure that evidence can be preserved, rehabilitation started (where needed) and financial help secured via the claim.
In exceptional circumstances, the court may extend the time limit (or limitation deadline) for those including:
You can make a personal injury claim for:
Court proceedings are issued (started) in many cases but this does not mean that the case will end in a trial. There are many reasons why court proceedings might be issued:
The duration of a serious injury claim depends on the individual circumstances of the client’s case. Claims take less time to conclude if:
Claims are more complex and may take longer to resolve where:
We work hard to secure cooperation with defendant insurers, to provide immediate needs assessments and timely funded rehabilitation for our clients to maximise their recovery in the all-important period immediately following an injury. Wherever possible, we also secure interim payments to ease our clients’ financial hardship long before their claims have concluded.
By taking the time that is needed for the client’s rehabilitation and the careful assessment of their long-term needs, we can be confident that each client receives the full support and the compensation they deserve.
Compensation is carefully structured to make the best provision for the injured person’s needs. There are rules protecting compensation for children or adults who lack mental capacity. Compensation may be paid in one or more of the following ways:
If you, or someone in your family has been seriously injured in an accident that was somebody else’s fault, you may be entitled to make a claim. If this feels daunting, alongside everything else that you are coping with in the aftermath of an accident, it may help to remember that:
If you decide that you want to go ahead with making a claim, we will gather as much evidence as we can to support your claim. This evidence may include:
We will also contact the defendant and their insurers to begin working towards meeting your immediate needs and settlement of the claim.
Our personal injury lawyers are specialists in catastrophic and severe injury compensation claims. Our clients have often suffered life-changing injury resulting in permanent disability, and we aim to assist their recovery by securing funded rehabilitation, whilst supporting them in adjusting to the changes to their lives and securing compensation to meet their needs in the future.
Our clients usually have suffered one or more of the following:
If you have suffered a serious injury as a result of somebody else’s negligence (breach of their duty of care), we may be able to help you make a claim for compensation.
Depending on the circumstances of your accident and the severity of your injury, we may also be able to help you claim compensation:
The vast majority of our clients’ serious injury claims are settled without the need for a court hearing (trial). Our clients very rarely need to go to court.
Our personal injury specialists are highly experienced in investigating and assessing the strength of each client’s case. From the outset, and throughout the claim, we advise our clients clearly and honestly about their prospects of success.
We work hard to prove each client’s claim, based on evidence of the circumstances of their accident and the impact of their injury. We encourage cooperation with the defendant’s insurers and negotiate the best possible settlements for our clients. On the rare occasions when a claim cannot be settled without a court hearing, this will be because:
In the following circumstances, the law requires a judge to approve an out-of-court settlement, for the protection of those involved:
In these cases, the approval hearing will be a short hearing at which the lawyers for both parties explain the circumstances of the case and the settlement terms to the judge. In most cases, our client will be expected to be in court during the hearing, accompanied and fully supported by members of our legal team.
The amount of compensation that an injured person receives in a personal injury claim depends on a number of individual factors:
Depending on the client’s injury and the way it affects their life, their claim may include compensation for:
An interim payment is a part-payment of compensation which is paid to the injured person, in advance, whilst the claim is ongoing. We can usually secure an interim payment from the defendant’s insurer where they have admitted liability (accepted fault) for our client’s injury.
We use interim payments to help the injured person and their family, who may be suffering financial hardship as a result of the injury. Where insurers are not willing to provide Rehabilitation Code funding, we sometimes obtain interim payments to ensure that our client receives the rehabilitation, case management and therapies that they need straight away.
Interim payments may be used to meet any genuine need, but it is important that the injured person and their family understand that the sums that they have already received as interim payments are deducted from their final compensation at the end of the claim.
Depending on the client’s injury, an interim payment may help meet their needs for:
By understanding and targeting provision for our clients’ rehabilitation and other essential needs early in the claims process, we help restore our clients’ mobility, independence and ability to participate fully in family and social life, long before the claim has concluded.
When claiming for compensation, Boyes Turner will help you gain:
The easiest way to get started is to talk to one of our friendly, experienced solicitors. You can talk to us free and confidentially about your potential claim, with no obligation, by contacting us by email.
It costs nothing to talk to us to find out about making a claim. Our initial advice is free.
When you first contact us, we advise you whether we can help you make a claim. We discuss how your claim will be funded, and advise, fully and clearly, how that works and what it will mean for you.
We offer a range of funding options, but the majority of our clients’ claims are handled on a conditional fee agreement (CFA) basis, often known as ‘no win no fee’. This means that there is nothing to pay at the outset or until the claim is settled, and you receive compensation. If you win your claim, the defendant’s insurer makes a contribution towards your legal costs. You pay nothing if your claim does not succeed.
Jun 2020
May 2020
Our medical negligence and personal injury teams have been nationally recognised for over 20 years because of their expertise, empathy and commitment to securing maximum compensation for our clients.
Almost 5 years ago my sons suffered a life changing brain injury accident. A new life for everyone, so many unknowns so many difficult decisions. I met Claire and the team shortly after the accident. So many questions answered but more than that, amazing lovely people. Claire has been guiding me and the family throughout this ordeal with such compassion, there every time I needed her we couldn’t of asked for a nicer person. I have met many others with in Boyes Turner and all have been genuine lovely people, I’m now working with Ruth and Lindsay from the court of protection. Again, I can't say enough about them amazing lovely people. They truly do won't the best for my son and they did and continue to do so.
Claire is exceptionally knowledgeable in the personal injury legal domain, especially in the specific area of my injury. From our very first conversation, she was clear in explaining the potential different routes that the process could take and provided me with expectations of what I could expect along the journey. She ensured that all bases were covered, organising meetings, discussions and necessary specialist appointments, in order to bring together the case and take it forward. Claire was then able to use her extensive pool of contacts, to appoint an "area leading" barrister, to represent me. Overall, I was very pleased with appointing Claire and Boyes Turner to act as my solicitor for the legal claim that I pursued. Thank you for all of your support.
I approached Claire Roantree of Boyes Turner in regards to making a claim about a workplace burns injury. It was something that had scarred me physically and mentally and taken a huge toll on the lives of me and my family. Claire wasted no time in finding out what happened and made sure I was treated by known experts and quickly finding an answer to my burns scarring and how I could be treated to help manage my pain. Claire also helped me by appointing a psychiatrist to understand my situation and help me cope with post traumatic stress disorder. As well as taking as much stress of the claim away, she was thorough in every situation, making sure I had the best possible claim, and handled it all expertly, I am so very grateful to her and her team. They have helped guide my life back into a positive direction and I can't thank her enough!
Excellent service from Claire and her team at all times. We were kept up to date at each stage of our claim. The outcome was much better than we expected and we would not hesitate to recommend Boyes Turner to family and friends.
Kim handled my personal injury claim after a car accident with immeasurable expertise and compassion. Boyes Turner arranged every part of my private rehabilitation, which greatly improved the speed and quality of my recovery. Each stage of the litigation process was dealt with efficiently and succinctly. This was then always explained without using unclear legal jargon. On both health and financial levels, I would be in a far worse position without Kim’s invaluable input. I cannot recommend this firm enough.
