Fatal Accidents - What is the bereavement award and bereavement damages?

Losing a loved one is a devastating experience. To find out that this might have occurred do to somebody’s negligence can make the already traumatic experience worse. However, you may be eligible to claim for a bereavement award or bereavement damages which we explore further below.

The Fatal Accidents Act 1976 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that allows relatives of people killed by the wrongdoing of others to recover damages. This act stipulates; If death is caused by any wrongful act, neglect or default which is such as would (if death had not ensued) have entitled the person injured to maintain an action and recover damages in respect thereof, the person who would have been liable if death had not ensued shall be liable to an action for damages, notwithstanding the death of the person injured.

There are specific rules as to who is eligible to receive a bereavement award under the Act. This could be the wife, husband, or civil partner of the deceased, the deceased’s partner - if cohabiting for 2 years or more or the parents of a minor.

If the death has occurred as a result of negligence, this could be as a result of a road traffic accident, work accident or medically related then they may be an entitlement to this statutory award. The relevant statute is the Fatal Accident’s Act 1976 and the set amount is £15,120.

You can consider making a compensation claim up to three years from the date of the injury or accident. There may be an instance where the timeframe from when you realised injuries were as a result of negligence which may mean you are eligible to be considered for a claim.

If you have been unfortunate to lose your loved one in a fatal accident, we can help you.

At Bakers we pride ourselves on our experience in representing claimants who have been injured through no fault of their own, helping them to receive compensation that they are properly entitled to. Our professional, friendly claims team will give you an honest, free and ‘plain English’ appraisal of your claim and we love delighting our clients when they receive the injury compensation they deserve.

If you would like us to handle your personal injury compensation claim, you can contact us online or by phone on 01252 744600.