Claiming for injuries caused by family members need not be awkward

Posted: 05/10/2015

Children or other family members are frequently injured when they are passengers in the same car as a parent or spouse who is at the wheel when an accident occurs. Injuries can also happen at home but families may not realise that they can claim against their family members via household or other insurance.

In road traffic accidents the accident is often the fault of another driver in another car and making a claim against that person is less personal but what if the accident was caused by a family member? Few people would choose to sue a member of their family. 

While it is necessary to obtain the appropriate compensation, especially in serious accidents, it need not necessarily be an awkward step. At Penningtons Manches we frequently obtain compensation for individuals seriously injured or even killed in a car driven by a family member where that family member has fallen asleep or caused an accident in another way. 

Generally, once a claim has been instigated against the insurance company of the driver or owner of the vehicle or following an accident at home, and the insurance company has completed its initial investigation into the circumstances of the accident, there tends to be little involvement from the family member who caused the accident, thus minimising any ongoing awkwardness that might be felt between family members. 

The Penningtons Manches personal injury team has several specialists in road traffic accidents and personal injury claims who are sensitive to clients’ concerns when accidents are caused by family members. They work with those clients who have suffered serious injury, including fatal accidents, as a result of an accident caused by a family member or loved one, to obtain funding and make provision for their therapy, long term care and financial support needs.

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