A road traffic accident can have an immediate and lasting impact. You may be dealing with pain, time off work, vehicle damage, insurance issues, medical appointments, travel problems or worries about your recovery.
If you were injured in a road traffic accident that was not your fault, or only partly your fault, you may be able to claim compensation.
Havard Law Solicitors helps people bring road traffic accident claims in a clear and straightforward way. We can investigate what happened, gather evidence, arrange medical evidence, deal with insurers and help you understand what compensation may be available.
What is a road traffic accident claim?
A road traffic accident claim is a personal injury claim brought after someone is injured because of a collision or incident on the road.
Claims can involve car drivers, passengers, cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists, taxi passengers, bus passengers, delivery drivers, commercial vehicle drivers, and families affected by fatal road accidents.
A claim may be brought against another driver, their insurer, an employer, or in some cases through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau where the at fault driver was uninsured or cannot be traced.
You do not always need to be entirely blameless to claim. If responsibility is shared, compensation may be reduced to reflect your share of fault, but that does not automatically prevent a claim.
When might you need help?
You may need legal advice if you have been injured in a road traffic accident and are unsure who was responsible, what your claim is worth, or how to deal with the insurer.
Road traffic accident claims can involve rear end collisions, side road collisions, junction accidents, pedestrian accidents, cycling accidents, motorcycle accidents, taxi accidents, public transport accidents, lorry collisions, commercial vehicle accidents, hit and run incidents, uninsured drivers and accidents while driving for work.
Injuries can range from whiplash and soft tissue injuries to fractures, head injuries, back injuries, psychological trauma and serious long term injuries.
Some claims are straightforward. Others become more complicated because liability is disputed, the other driver cannot be traced, there are multiple vehicles involved, the insurer makes a low offer, or the medical evidence does not fully reflect the impact of the injuries.
What can compensation cover?
Compensation is intended to reflect the effect the accident has had on your life.
This may include compensation for pain, suffering and loss of amenity, which means the physical and emotional impact of the injuries and the effect on your day to day activities.
A claim may also include financial losses. These can include lost earnings, future loss of income, treatment costs, rehabilitation, travel expenses, care provided by family members, vehicle damage, hire vehicle costs, recovery charges and other expenses caused by the accident.
Where injuries are serious, compensation may also need to account for long term care, adaptations, equipment, future treatment and the effect on your ability to work.
How Havard Law Solicitors can help
Havard Law Solicitors can guide you through the claim from the first enquiry through to settlement.
We can listen to what happened, advise whether a claim may be possible, gather evidence, obtain police reports where relevant, request witness statements, review photographs, dashcam or CCTV footage, arrange independent medical evidence and deal with the other side’s insurer on your behalf.
We can also help calculate the full value of the claim, including both the injury itself and any financial losses caused by the accident.
Where a fair settlement cannot be reached, we can advise on the next steps and, where necessary, issue court proceedings to protect your position.
We will explain the process in plain English and keep you updated throughout.
Case study: taxi driver injured in road traffic accident
Havard Law Solicitors acted for a taxi driver who was injured while travelling along a main road with a fare paying passenger on board.
Another driver pulled out of a side road when it was unsafe to do so and collided with the front of the client’s vehicle. The impact caused significant vehicle damage and left the client with physical and psychological injuries.
The client’s injuries affected his movement, sleep, ability to carry out daily tasks and ability to work. As a taxi driver, the accident also had a direct impact on his livelihood.
Although the other driver’s insurer admitted responsibility for the accident at an early stage, the claim did not progress smoothly. After a formal settlement pack was submitted, the insurer failed to engage properly and no settlement offers were made. Court proceedings became necessary.
The other side later applied to have the claim dismissed. They argued that the claim should have been dealt with through a lower value process and suggested that the client’s injuries were minor.
Havard Law Solicitors strongly disputed this. The client’s injuries were more extensive than simple whiplash, and the wider claim included vehicle damage, lost earnings and replacement vehicle costs. Specialist counsel was instructed and detailed evidence was prepared for the court hearing.
There were also issues with the medical evidence. The original medical report had incorrectly categorised the injuries, so steps were taken to have the report amended and resubmitted to the court.
As the case moved towards trial, the other side also raised questions about financial records linked to the replacement vehicle claim. Havard Law Solicitors worked with the client to gather bank statements and supporting documentation to address those points.
The court dismissed the other side’s application to strike out the claim. The claim was allowed to continue in full and was allocated to the Fast Track.
Following the dismissal of the strike out application, the other side began engaging more constructively in attempts to resolve the claim.
This case shows that even where responsibility for an accident is admitted, insurers may still dispute the value, process or evidence. Careful preparation helped protect the client’s right to pursue proper compensation.
Evidence that can help your road traffic accident claim
The evidence needed will depend on the circumstances of the accident.
Helpful evidence can include photographs of the accident scene, photographs of vehicle damage, dashcam footage, CCTV footage, witness details, police reports, insurance details, medical records, repair invoices, hire vehicle documents, proof of lost earnings, travel receipts and notes about symptoms and recovery.
It is also useful to keep a record of how the accident has affected your work, sleep, mobility, driving, daily routine and independence.
Do not worry if you do not have all the evidence at the start. Havard Law Solicitors can explain what may be needed and help identify what evidence may still be available.
Speak to our road traffic accident team
If you have been injured in a road traffic accident, it is sensible to get advice as early as possible. Evidence can become harder to obtain over time, especially CCTV, dashcam footage, witness details and insurance information.
To speak to Havard Law Solicitors, call 0151 556 1234 or email info@havardlaw.co.uk with a short summary of what happened, when and where the accident took place, who was involved, and any evidence you already have.
A member of the team can review the information and explain the next steps in clear, practical terms.
Road Traffic Accident Claims Solicitors FAQs
Not always. There is an online process for some lower value road traffic accident injury claims in England and Wales.
However, legal advice can still be useful if the claim is more complicated. This may include disputed liability, injuries that are more serious than first thought, questions about medical evidence, uninsured or untraced drivers, loss of earnings, vehicle damage, hire vehicle costs, or an early offer from an insurer.
A solicitor can help you understand whether the claim is suitable for the lower value process or whether it needs to be handled differently.
Havard Law Solicitors can review the circumstances and explain your options.
For most adults, the usual time limit for a personal injury claim is three years from the date of the accident.
Different rules can apply for children and for people who lack mental capacity to manage their own affairs.
Claims involving uninsured or untraced drivers may also involve specific rules and evidence requirements, so it is important to get advice quickly.
Because time limits are strict, it is sensible to speak to a solicitor as soon as possible after the accident.
Compensation is usually made up of two main parts.
The first part covers pain, suffering and loss of amenity. This reflects the injury itself and the impact it has had on your day to day life, mobility, sleep, hobbies, driving, work and general wellbeing.
The second part covers financial losses. This can include lost earnings, treatment costs, rehabilitation, travel expenses, care, vehicle damage, hire vehicle costs and other expenses linked to the accident.
The value of the claim will depend on the medical evidence, the seriousness of the injuries, the recovery period and the financial losses that can be proven.
You may still be able to claim even if you were partly responsible for the accident.
Road traffic accident claims can involve shared responsibility. For example, one driver may have made a mistake, but another road user may also have contributed to the collision.
If responsibility is shared, compensation may be reduced to reflect your share of fault. This is sometimes called contributory negligence.
It is important not to assume you cannot claim without taking advice. Havard Law Solicitors can review the evidence and explain your position.
In most road traffic accident claims, medical evidence will be needed.
An independent medical expert can assess your injuries, review your symptoms and prepare a report. This report helps prove what injuries were caused by the accident and how long recovery is likely to take.
Medical evidence is also important when valuing the claim. It can help identify whether treatment, rehabilitation, time off work, ongoing symptoms or future needs should be included.
Havard Law Solicitors can arrange the appropriate medical evidence and explain what to expect.
Yes. If the other driver was uninsured, you may still be able to claim compensation.
Claims involving uninsured drivers are often made through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau. The MIB exists to help compensate people injured by uninsured or untraced drivers, subject to the relevant rules and evidence requirements.
It is important to gather as much information as possible, including the vehicle registration, driver details, police reference numbers, photographs, witness details and insurance correspondence.
Havard Law Solicitors can help investigate the position and explain how the claim may proceed.
Yes, a claim may still be possible if the other driver drove off or cannot be identified.
These claims are often handled through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, which deals with claims involving uninsured or untraced drivers.
Hit and run claims can be more complicated because the other driver is not available to respond. Evidence such as police reports, witness details, CCTV, dashcam footage, vehicle damage photographs and medical records can be especially important.
Strict rules and time limits apply, so it is sensible to seek advice as soon as possible.
Yes. A passenger may be able to claim compensation if they were injured in a road traffic accident.
The claim may be brought against the driver of the vehicle they were travelling in, the driver of another vehicle, or more than one party, depending on who was responsible for the accident.
Passengers are often not at fault for the collision, but evidence is still needed to show how the accident happened and who should be responsible.
Havard Law Solicitors can review the circumstances and explain who the claim may need to be brought against.
