Fatal Accident
Claim Squad can assist you if a family member or loved one passes away in a
fatal accident, there is nothing material in this world that can ever replace that person. It is impossible to put a financial amount on the full value of your loss. However, if the loved one was a
parent or a
spouse, a legal responsibility remains to provide financially and emotionally for the surviving spouse and children. We frequently assist clients whose loved ones have died as a result of
accidental death,
gross negligence, or
highway fatality. Whatever your needs, a
wrongful death panel solicitor is ready to aggressively negotiate your case to attain the best possible outcome for you and your children.
The Fatal Accidents Act 1976
The Fatal Accidents Act 1976 (FAA) provides financial compensation for the bereavement arising from the death of an individual. The people who are entitled to compensation for bereavement are: husbands, wives, and the parents of a child, or mother of an illegitimate child, who was under 18 years of age and who was never married. When the Civil Partnership Bill comes into force, surviving civil partners will also be entitled to compensation. The statutory sum recoverable is a fixed amount of £10,000. If the claim is on behalf of both parents of a child, the amount is divided equally between them. The parents of a child over 18, children of a deceased parent, parents of a stillborn infant and other relatives are not entitled to recover damages for bereavement no matter how closely associated with the deceased.
A problem often encountered is in relation to the death of an unmarried person over the age of 18 years whose parents seek to bring a claim arising out of the death, as there is no provision for an award in respect of bereavement damages under the FAA.. In the absence of any claim for future financial dependency, it is unlikely that any action can be pursued, as the claim for damages will be extremely modest and unlikely to justify the cost of expensive legal action. Even where a parent may have a strong claim in negligence for the death of their adult child it is very often not worthwhile pursuing, unless there is a claim for dependency.
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