Road traffic accident (RTA) injury claims
Compensation for every road user injured in a serious accident.
If you have been seriously injured in a road traffic accident (RTA) or collision, you may be entitled to compensation for your injury and its financial consequences.
Our personal injury solicitors help individuals and their families recover, rehabilitate and rebuild their lives after road accidents have caused devastating injury. We specialise in maximum severity compensation claims for life-changing injury and severe disability, and for clients with extensive needs for rehabilitation and ongoing care. We secure early, funded rehabilitation to optimise our clients’ recovery with timely, coordinated treatment, whilst ensuring that our clients receive maximum compensation to restore financial security and provide for adapted housing, vehicles, equipment, therapies, and care.
We achieve outstanding settlements in highly complex, difficult or sensitive cases, such as those involving teenagers or allegations of contributory negligence. We have supported countless families through the challenges and suffering caused by devastating road accidents. We are committed to making a difference. Every client’s claim is handled with care by an experienced solicitor.
- Nationally recognised personal injury specialists with decades of experience
- Access to leading medical experts and rehabilitation professionals
- Proven track record of securing life-changing compensation for families
- Dedicated support from initial enquiry through to settlement
- No upfront costs and claim through a no win no fee agreement
Road traffic accident injury claims
Car accident injury claims
Claims against uninsured drivers
Compensation claims for serious injury to passengers
Cycling accident claims
E-scooter accidents
Fatal accident claims
Motorcycle accident claims & compensation
Pedestrian accident compensation claims
Starting your road traffic accident (RTA) injury claim
It costs nothing to talk to us to find out about making an RTA injury claim for yourself or a member of your family. You can contact us for free, confidential advice from a specialist personal injury solicitor. In serious injury cases, we often visit our clients in the hospital or at their home if they are unable to get to our offices.
We will ask you to tell us briefly about the accident and injury. We will advise you about your time limits and whether we can help you make a claim. Your solicitor will discuss with you 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 most of our clients’ claims are handled on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis.
We will put your claim to the defendant individual or organisation whose negligence caused your injury, and we will handle all communication on your behalf. The defendant’s insurers will usually handle the claim on the defendant’s behalf and will be responsible for paying any compensation. Once we are in contact with the defendant’s insurers, we can begin to secure the necessary rehabilitation and specialist support to meet the injured person’s immediate needs whilst we proceed with the claim.
No win, no fee
No hidden or upfront costs. Clear, straightforward advice. Nothing to pay unless your claim is successful.
Over 30 years’ experience
We have helped thousands of clients claim compensation.
Fully regulated
Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Road accident injury compensation claim FAQs
Who can make a road accident injury compensation claim?
If you have been seriously injured in a road accident as a result of somebody else’s negligence, we can help you claim compensation.
We recover compensation in road accident claims for severely injured:
- drivers;
- passengers or pillion passengers;
- pedestrians;
- cyclists;
- motorcyclists or moped riders;
- e-scooter riders.
We also recover compensation for severely injured clients in complex claims, where:
- the road accident happened abroad;
- someone died in the accident;
- someone else caused the accident, but the injured person was partly to blame;
- the injuries were caused by someone else’s unlawful behaviour;
- the driver who caused the accident was uninsured, or untraced after a ‘hit-and-run’.
You can make a personal injury claim for:
- yourself – for your own injuries;
- an injured child who is under the age of 18 (as their litigation friend);
- an injured adult who lacks mental capacity (as litigation friend);
- the estate or dependents of someone who died in a fatal accident (as personal representative/executor).
What kind of accidents lead to road accident injury claims?
Road accidents can occur during any situation or activity which involves vehicles or road travel from place to place. RTA collisions lead to compensation claims when they are caused by the negligence of one or more individuals or organisations and result in someone suffering a serious injury.
Road accident injury claims most commonly arise from:
- car accidents;
- injury to pedestrians from negligently driven vehicles;
- accidents which cause injury to passengers;
- accidents causing injury to cyclists;
- motorcycle or moped accidents;
- collisions involving e-scooters;
- road accidents abroad or on holiday;
- road accidents at work (construction vehicles, forklifts, commercial vehicles);
- accidents involving public transport (taxis, buses);
- accidents involving farm vehicles;
- single-vehicle accidents (highways negligence or defective vehicles);
- accidents caused by uninsured drivers or as a result of hit-and-run.
What kind of negligence leads to road accident injury claims?
Road accidents which cause severe injury leading to compensation claims are often the result of one or more of the following driver errors:
- speeding or driving too fast for the road conditions;
- tailgating or driving too close to the vehicle in front;
- losing control of the vehicle;
- failing to stop, slow down, give way or take action to avoid a collision;
- overtaking too close or in dangerous circumstances;
- failing to keep to their own carriageway, lane, or side of the road;
- failing to look or signal when turning or changing lane;
- failing to comply with the highway code;
- driving an unroadworthy vehicle (defective lights, indicators, tyres, or brakes);
- driving whilst distracted or on a mobile phone;
- driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Claims can also be made against the council, highway authority or their contractors for road accident injuries caused by their negligent failure to maintain safe roads, or correctly warn or alert drivers to ramps, skips, road works and other hazards on the road.
What kind of injuries can lead to RTA injury compensation claims?
Our personal injury lawyers are specialists in catastrophic and severe injury compensation claims for clients who have suffered life-changing injury and permanent disability. We focus on maximising their recovery through funded rehabilitation, whilst supporting them through the changes and adjustments to their lives and ensuring they receive their full entitlement to compensation to meet their lifelong needs.
Our clients have usually suffered one or more of the following:
- head injury/brain injury;
- spinal cord injury (SCI) – paralysis, tetraplegia, paraplegia;
- loss of limbs or amputation;
- major trauma or multiple injuries;
- blindness, deafness or sensory impairment;
- maxillofacial injury;
- severe lacerations or nerve injury;
- burns or scalds;
- severe scarring and disfigurement;
- degloving injuries (needing skin grafting);
- or chronic pain;
- PTSD or psychological injury;
- fatal injury.
How much compensation can I claim in an RTA injury claim?
The amount of compensation that each of our clients receives depends on their injury and disability and its impact on their life. We ensure that each client’s claim is carefully calculated to meet their needs arising from their disability and replace their financial losses. In cases involving severe injury and disability, the value of the claim will reflect the injured person’s need for rehabilitation, specialist equipment, adapted accommodation, treatment and care for the rest of their life. Negotiated settlements may also be adjusted for ‘litigation risks’, such as the injured person’s own contributory negligence.
Our personal injury solicitors specialise in personal injury claims for people who have suffered severe, life-changing injury and disability. Our clients’ claims often include compensation for:
- pain, suffering, and disability;
- costs of care and case management;
- rehabilitation – often funded directly by the defendant’s insurer;
- therapies (occupational therapy (OT), physiotherapy, speech, and language therapy;
- PTSD treatment and psychological counselling;
- medical, surgical or pain management treatment;
- specialist vehicles, equipment, assistive technology, prosthetics (amputation);
- additional costs of adapted accommodation;
- loss of earnings and pension;
- support with vocational or special educational needs (SEN);
- Court of Protection deputyship.
In road accident claims arising from fatal injury, we help the deceased’s dependent family claim compensation for their loss of the deceased’s income or ‘services’ (childcare, housework, driving, DIY etc), as well as funeral costs and a fixed, statutory bereavement award.
Can I claim compensation for injuries caused by a hit-and-run or uninsured driver?
The law and the insurance industry recognise that car accidents can cause life-changing injuries, and that those who are injured in accidents caused by negligent drivers are entitled to compensation. The law requires drivers to have motor insurance to ensure that anyone who is injured as a result of a driver’s negligence can be compensated for their injuries. The insurance industry also provides an alternative way of claiming compensation for injured victims of uninsured or untraced drivers, through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB).
If someone is seriously injured in a road accident which was caused by a driver who was not insured to drive the car or is untraced after a hit-and-run accident, we can help the injured person or their family claim compensation from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB).
Can I claim compensation if I was partly to blame for my road accident injury?
Road traffic accidents (RTAs) 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’s negligent actions, 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 in proportion to their own contribution to their injury.
Our personal injury solicitors are experts at achieving outstanding settlements for severely injured clients in complex cases involving contributory negligence. We fight insurers’ attempts to deny claims or unfairly reduce them where we believe our client deserves full or partial compensation.
Examples of road accident claims involving contributory negligence in which we succeeded in recovering compensation for our injured client include:
- not wearing a seatbelt;
- car-surfing;
- pedestrians failing to wait for the red light on a pedestrian crossing;
- stepping out without properly checking that the road is clear.
Read more about how we help injured clients in RTA claims involving contributory negligence.
Can I claim RTA injury compensation from an accident caused by a friend or family member?
We understand the challenges faced by families after a road accident causes life-changing injury. We frequently act for families in claims involving children or teenagers who have been injured in accidents whilst being driven by family members or friends, or accidents in which multiple family members or friends were injured, or where the negligent driver who caused their passengers’ injuries lost their own life in the accident.
The thought of making a claim in these circumstances can seem overwhelming, but our clients discover that the extensive needs of the severely injured person can best be met by compensation. Our experienced solicitors have supported injured clients and their families through difficult claims in sensitive circumstances, securing the rehabilitation that is vital to ensure their best chance of recovery, and the necessary compensation to help them manage their disability. When deciding to make a claim, many clients find it helpful to remember that:
- the driver’s insurance company has a legal responsibility to pay compensation to those injured by their insured driver’s negligence, so the insurer usually handles the claim for the negligent driver;
- road accident injury claims are civil claims for compensation, not criminal proceedings;
- in most of our clients’ cases, liability is agreed and settlement negotiated without the need for court proceedings or attendance at court;
- insurer-funded rehabilitation improves the injured child, teenager, or adult’s prospects of recovery, and compensation ensures that their ongoing needs will be met.
Can I claim RTA injury compensation if my accident took place abroad?
If you have been seriously injured in a road accident whilst working or on holiday abroad, you may be entitled to claim compensation for your injuries.
Our personal injury solicitors have secured compensation for many clients who have experienced life-changing accidents in foreign countries.
Compensation claims for severe injury arising from accidents abroad are complex and must be handled by specialist solicitors. Our experienced lawyers can advise you how, when and where to make a claim and ensure you recover the compensation you deserve.
Read more about how we help clients secure compensation for injuries suffered in accidents abroad.
Who pays the compensation in a road accident injury claim?
If someone is injured in a car accident that was caused by another driver, the negligent driver’s insurers will be responsible for paying any compensation settlement arising from a claim.
If the driver who caused the accident was uninsured, or is untraced after a hit-and-run accident, we can help the injured person claim compensation for their injuries from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB).
Compensation for serious injury in road accidents caused by unsafe roads can also be claimed from:
- the highways agency (e.g. Highways England) responsible for major roads and motorways;
- the local highway authority (e.g. council) responsible for minor roads and pavements;
- a contractor carrying out building or maintenance work on the roads;
- the Ministry of Transport/government;
- utility companies (responsible for low hanging cables, burst water mains etc);
- other drivers or commercial organisations responsible for hazards or obstructions on the road (skips, spillages, debris, or items dropped from open lorries).
In each client’s case, we investigate the accident and its cause based on evidence from our client, witnesses, our experts and the police, and advise our client on the correct defendant(s) to direct their claim towards, to ensure that they will succeed with their claim.
What are the time limits for making a road traffic accident injury claim?
In most personal injury claims relating to injuries which occurred in England or Wales, court proceedings must be issued (formally started) within three years of the date of the injury.
There are some exceptions to the three-year limitation deadline.
- A child’s three-year time period only begins to run from the age of 18, meaning that their limitation deadline expires when they reach the age of 21.
- Adults who lack mental capacity to make their claim have no limitation deadline. 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.
- In exceptional circumstances, the court may extend the limitation deadline, such as where it was not known that an injury had occurred until after the deadline for making the claim.
- If the injury occurred in an accident abroad, the law of the country where the accident happened will usually set the time limit for making a claim. These time limits vary from country to country and can be much shorter than the deadlines in England and Wales. If you have suffered a serious injury in a road accident that was not your fault whilst working, travelling, studying or on holiday abroad, you should contact us for advice straight away.
- Claims against the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) are also subject to significantly shorter deadlines and may be rejected if there is any delay.
Failing to issue personal injury proceedings within the limitation deadline can have serious consequences and may result in the injured person losing their right to make a compensation claim. We recommend that you contact us for free advice as soon as possible after your injury to enable our personal injury claims solicitors to protect your entitlement to compensation and assist in your rehabilitation and recovery.
Making a road traffic accident claim
We understand how daunting it can feel to take the first step. Our specialist personal injury solicitors are here to guide you through every stage.
Getting in touch
Call us or complete our online form to receive free, confidential advice from one of our specialist road traffic accident solicitors. We will listen carefully to your circumstances, explain your legal options in clear and straightforward terms, and advise whether you have a claim and how we can help you move forward.
Supporting your claim
Our specialist solicitors will gather the evidence needed to support your claim, including medical records, witness statements, accident reports, police reports where available, CCTV or dashcam footage, and expert opinions where required. They will establish how the road traffic accident happened, who was responsible, and the impact your injuries have had on your life. Where appropriate, we can also seek an interim payment to help meet your immediate needs.
Securing compensation
Our solicitors work to secure the maximum compensation possible as quickly as possible. We aim to ensure you have the financial support you need for rehabilitation, medical treatment, care, specialist equipment, lost earnings, vehicle adaptations where required, and any other assistance required to support your recovery and future wellbeing.
Contact us
If you would like advice regarding a serious injury or illness affecting you or a loved one, please complete the form and one of our experts will be in touch as soon as possible.
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Our road traffic accident claims
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£7 million settlement after ‘car-surfing’ accident leads to brain injury
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FLR v Chandran: Success at trial for 12-year-old girl hit by car on pedestrian crossing
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£1.15 million compensation settlement for pedestrian hit by Uber vehicle
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Boyes Turner’s personal injury lawyers have secured a settlement for a cyclist who was injured when he was knocked off his bike
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£3,425,000 settlement for pedestrian with multiple injuries and amputation risk after hit by a van
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£1 million settlement for head-injured man plus compensation for his family after RTA in France
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£217,500 settlement plus funded rehabilitation for cyclist who suffered multiple injuries in RTA
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Professionalism and continued reassurance
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 injury can have upon their lives.
- We are nationally acclaimed for our personal injury expertise and the outstanding results we achieve for our clients.
- We are ranked as leading personal injury experts in the Chambers Directory and Legal 500 guides to the legal profession and are accredited for our specialist expertise by the Law Society and the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).
- Our integrated multidisciplinary team offers our clients a full range of specialist help with compensation, rehabilitation, SEN, deputyship, personal injury trusts and community care.
- We secure early, funded rehabilitation and maximum compensation in claims for adults and children who have suffered catastrophic injury, and provide practical support for their families.
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