Compensation claims for serious injury to passengers

Our personal injury solicitors secure life-changing compensation settlements and funded rehabilitation for passengers who have suffered severe injury in accidents.

passenger in a car

Specialist legal support for passengers hurt in road accidents.

Drivers have a legal duty to drive safely to avoid injury to other road users, including their passengers. Whether the accident was caused by the driver of the vehicle you were in, another driver or a third party, such as the highway authority, as an injured passenger you are likely to have a claim. Road accidents can leave passengers of cars, motorcycles, buses and other vehicles with devastating injury. Severe disability affects every aspect of the injured person and their family’s life. If you or a family member have been severely injured in a road accident, our personal injury solicitors can usually secure immediate funding from the driver’s insurers for rehabilitation to maximise recovery. We have the skills and experience to help injured RTA passengers obtain full compensation, make their best recovery and receive the necessary support to rebuild their lives.
  • 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
  • Dedicated support from initial enquiry through to settlement
  • No upfront costs and claim through a no win no fee agreement

Starting your passenger injury compensation claim

It costs nothing to talk to us to find out about making a passenger 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.

Passenger injury compensation claims FAQs

Passengers are usually able to claim compensation after if they have suffered serious injury in:

  • collisions involving cars, taxis, buses, e-scooters and commercial vehicles;
  • single vehicle accidents, where the vehicle hits a tree or wall, rolls or leaves the road;
  • motorcycle or moped accidents as a pillion passenger;
  • cycling accidents (e.g. as a child on the back of a parent’s bike);
  • accidents on boats, trains, aircraft or other public transport;
  • sports and leisure accidents (e.g. amusement park rides, cable cars).

Passengers who have been seriously injured in a road accident (RTA) may have a claim against one or more defendants, depending on the cause of the accident. These can include:

  • the driver of the vehicle in/on which the passenger was riding;
  • the driver of another vehicle involved in the accident;
  • the transport provider (bus company, airline, railway, travel or excursion company);
  • the negligent driver’s employer, such as a school, business, council;
  • the highway authority responsible for the unsafe road conditions which caused the accident; 
  • the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) – if a hit-and-run or uninsured driver caused the accident.

Passenger injury claims often arise when one or more drivers has caused serious injury in an accident by:

  • speeding or driving too fast for the road conditions;
  • driving or overtaking dangerously;
  • losing control of a vehicle;
  • being distracted (e.g. talking or texting on a mobile phone);
  • driving through a red traffic light;
  • failing to give way or stop at a road junction;
  • turning without indicating; 
  • driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
  • driving an unroadworthy vehicle (defective tyres, brakes or lights).

Claims also arise after the council or highway authority or their employees or contractors cause an accident by:

  • inadequate road signs;
  • poorly maintained or unsigned temporary road surface;
  • incorrect placement of cones, skips and other road hazards;
  • unsafe road layout or conditions.

Our personal injury solicitors specialise in claims involving severe serious injury and permanent disability. We recover compensation for passengers who have suffered life-changing injuries including:

We prepare each client’s compensation claim carefully to ensure that their compensation will meet their additional needs arising from their injury or disability. The amount of the compensation that can be claimed depends on the severity of the injury and disability and its impact on the injured person’s life, as well as their individual circumstances.

Passenger injury settlements may include compensation for:

  • pain, suffering and disability;
  • rehabilitation costs;
  • costs of care and case management;
  • home adaptations or the extra costs of buying a suitable home;
  • specialist vehicles, equipment, assistive technology (IT);
  • prostheses (after amputation);
  • medical or surgical costs;
  • therapies, including:
    • physiotherapy;
    • occupational therapy (OT);
    • speech and language therapy (SALT);
    • hydrotherapy;
  • psychological treatment or counselling;
  • financial losses, such as earnings and pension;
  • vocational rehabilitation (to help the injured person return to work);
  • special education (SEN) costs (if a child);
  • Court of Protection deputyship costs.

In claims arising from fatal injury, we help the bereaved, 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.

Yes. As a passenger you are likely to have a claim against the driver of the vehicle you were in/on, if they lost control of their vehicle, causing you injury. Depending on the cause of the accident, you may also have a claim against the highway authority.

Claims are commonly made for passengers who were injured in single-vehicle accidents when the car they were in, or the motorbike on which they were a pillion passenger, is driven into a tree or other object, rolls or swerves and leaves the road.

When a passenger suffers a life-changing injury in an accident caused by the driver of the vehicle they were travelling in, compensation can be the lifeline to rehabilitation and recovery, as well as meeting the injured person’s lifelong needs that have been caused by the accident, injury and disability.   Even so, we understand that in situations where the accident involved friends or family, making a decision to claim is far from easy. We see this most often when passengers are injured by the negligent driving of a vehicle by friends or members of their family.

In these cases, where compensation and rehabilitation is vital for the injured passenger, it helps to remember that all drivers are required by law to have insurance. This means that all communication in response to any claim will be handled on the driver’s behalf by their insurance company, and it is their insurer who compensates their passengers and anyone else who is injured by their negligent driving.

In these situations, it helps to talk things through with our personal injury solicitors, who are highly experienced in acting for injured clients in claims involving family and friends. We handle these claims with sensitivity, compassion and care, and provide support for our client and their family, whilst ensuring that the injured person’s immediate need for rehabilitation and ongoing needs arising from their injury are met, along with compensation paid by the driver’s insurers.

As a seriously injured passenger, your compensation may be reduced if your own behaviour partially caused or contributed to your injury, but you may still have a substantial claim. For passengers, these situations include:

  • failing to wear a seatbelt;
  • failing to wear a helmet (as a pillion passenger on a motorbike or moped);
  • where the driver was drunk or under the influence of drugs;
  • where the driver was underage or not competent to drive the vehicle.

We recommend that any passenger who has suffered serious injury in a road accident should seek advice from our specialist solicitors before making their own assessment about the strength, weakness or value of their claim.

Find out more about how we recover compensation for seriously injured clients in claims involving contributory negligence.

Making a passenger injury 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 passenger injury 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, and expert opinions where required. They will build a clear picture of how the accident happened, who was responsible, and the physical, emotional and financial 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, 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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motorbike

Client story

£110,000 compensation

We secured settlement after our client suffered an elbow fracture and soft tissue injuries after the motorcycle on which she was riding pillion collided with a car.

Read the story

Our passenger injury claims

Our personal injury solicitors

Why choose Boyes Turner?

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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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Leading personal injury solicitors for over 30 years

Our solicitors’ expertise in personal injury claims and their dedication to improving the lives of their injured clients has been recognised by the legal profession and disability charities for over 30 years.

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