When it comes to claiming a bereavement award, there are a number of different factors which will affect whether your claim is successful or not.
Here is a round-up of some of the most common elements which will determine whether your bereavement award payout is successful or not.
What Affects a Bereavement Award Claim?
To be successfully awarded a bereavement award, a court will have to consider the claimant’s relationship with the deceased. As it stands, an award can only be given to a spouse or civil partner of the deceased or, if the deceased is under the age of 18, their parents. The amount received is currently a total sum of £12,980 regardless of the specific circumstances surrounding the death.
Bereavement awards have continuously been the centre of arguments within the legal sector as many consider the payout and restricted eligibility as a symbolic sum rather than an accurate representation of the emotional and economic loss caused by the victim’s death.
There are various circumstances which make the award in its current state unfair. If the deceased is an illegitimate child under 18, then only the mother would receive a payout. If the deceased is an adult, then the parents would receive nothing. When both parents are eligible for the award, then both would only receive £6,490 no matter their pain, grief or suffering. Even worse, if a parent dies, then a son or daughter would not be eligible for a bereavement award. If a fatal accident occurred when a victim was still a child but they pass when they turn 18, then no award is payable.
There is hope and an ongoing fight to ensure that bereavement awards will eventually open up in the near future, providing people with the payouts they deserve no matter their relationship to the victim or the victim’s age at the time of death.
Our team of expert solicitors have dedicated experience in dealing with fatal accident claims including bereavement awards. Contact us today for free advice to see if you may be able to claim for a bereavement award.
