Fatal Accidents

At the Paul Rooney Partnership, we work hard to make sure that when you have suffered the trauma of losing a loved one, we are able to offer you practical advice and assistance in a sympathetic and sensitive manner.

We know that claiming compensation will not be a priority but when you are ready to seek advice we will be ready to help you.

The law says that a "dependant" can make a claim for compensation.

A dependant can be:

• A husband or wife, or former husband or wife of the deceased.
• A civil partner or former partner of the deceased.
• A person who was living with the deceased as husband or wife for at least two years prior to the death.
• A parent or other dependant of the deceased.
• A person who was treated by the deceased as his or her parent.
• A child or other dependant of the deceased.
• A person, who in the case of a marriage to which the deceased was at any time a party, was treated by the deceased as a child of the family in relation to that marriage.
• A person who is a brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew or cousin of the deceased.

Please note that the dependant must prove that they were or would become dependant on the deceased.

The dependency can be financial if the dependant relied on the income of the deceased or it can be a reliance on services if the deceased did the housework, looked after the children etc.

There is also a statutory bereavement award  of £10,000 payable if the deceased was your husband or wife or your child who was under the age of 18.

In addition to the dependency claim, there may be a claim for:

• The pain and suffering of the deceased
• Funeral expenses

If you would like advice in relation to a fatal accident claim, contact the Paul Rooney Partnership who have the experience and expertise to help you.