As our children now finally return to school many households will give a sigh of relief that no more home schooling is needed; but unfortunately this step back to normality increases the risk of road traffic accident for our children, and on average six children are seriously injured or killed on British roads every day.
If your child has been involved in a road traffic accident, it is likely that your parental instincts will kick in and you will prioritise their wellbeing and recovery above all else. You can also pursue a claim for compensation on behalf of your child if they are under the age of 18 years.
The time limit for filing a child injury claim at court is different from that of adults. In the case of adults, the compensation claim must generally be filed at court within three years from the date of the accident. If the person who is injured is below 18 years of age on the date that the accident occurs, the three year limitation only comes into force after the child’s 18th birthday. This means, a child injury claim for an individual under 18 can be filed at court at any time before their 21st birthday. Despite this, we would always recommend that you begin your claim and instruct solicitors as soon as possible.
The details you need to help your case
If you decide to proceed with a claim for your child we will require some information from you. This information is necessary for us to be able to prove that the accident was avoidable and the injuries your child sustained were due to somebody else’s negligence.
Some of the details you will be required to provide include:
The date and time that the accident occurred
Details of where the accident occurred. Supporting these details with photographs of the site will help your solicitor build a stronger case
The contact details of any persons around who may have witnessed the accident
In case of a road traffic accidents, it will be very helpful to your solicitor if you provide the name and address of the driver responsible for the accident, their vehicle registration number, and their insurance details. Again, photographs can strengthen your case
Assuming the accident has been reported to the police, they will also need the name of the police station where the accident was reported, and police log or reference number.
If your child has been involved in any type of accident due to someone else’s negligence and you have not yet instructed solicitors, we would recommend that you do so as soon as possible. You can call our specialist personal injury team on 0161 696 6235 or complete our online enquiry form.
By Joanne Topping, PA in the personal injury team
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