Dependancy Claim
The Fatal Accident Act 1976 (Dependancy Claim)
This provides an independent cause of action for near relatives of the deceased who have been deprived of his support and services. It is a claim for damages not for the deceased himself but for his family after death. As one judge put it:
It is not a claim which the deceased could have pursued in his own lifetime because it is for damages suffered not by himself, but by his family after death.”
To be awarded compensation following a fatal accident the dependants would have to show that had the deceased survived from his injuries, he would have been able to recover compensation in his own right. If his claim would have inevitably failed due to limitation problems then no claim can be found. Any damages awarded is subject to reduction for contributory negligence. If the death of the deceased was caused by the negligence of one of his dependants, that negligence does not affect the claims of the other dependants, Dodds v Dodds [1978] QB 543.
Bereavement Award
Only the wife or husband of the deceased, and, where the deceased was a minor (under the age of 18 years) who was never married, for the benefit of his parents, if he was legitimate and of his mother if he was illegitimate. Award has increased from £3,500 to £7,500 after 1 April 1991 and from 1 April 2002 £10,000. Interest can also be claimed in respect of a fatal accident case on the award running from the date of death.
The Three Stage Test of a Fatal Accident Award
Assessment of a fatal accident award can be very complicated which is why you should always instruct a specialist fatal accident solicitor.
The assessment, simply put is a 3 stage test:
1 establish the earnings of the deceased, less living expenses – this gives what the court’s the annual dependency or what is called the “multiplicand”;
2 the multiplicand is then multiplied by the number of years purchase, the “multiplier”;
3 the resultant figure is then subject to the element of reasonable future probability which is reflected in the multiplier in 2 above.
Free Advice Always Available
As specialist fatal accident solicitors we can work for free win or lose so you have nothing to worry about. There is a limited time to make a claim so we make it easy for you to contact us. You can fill on our online form, call us free of charge on 0800 083 0626 or alternatively we operate a secure confidential live chat facility (see top right hand of this web site) that you can also use should you feel more comfortable.
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