Fatal Accident Claim Solicitors
If you have lost a family member due to someone else’s negligence and want to understand your legal rights, our solicitors, with over 20 years of experience in fatal accident and bereavement claims in England and Wales, can help.
When another person’s negligence or wrongdoing causes a death, English and Welsh law provides two separate frameworks under which the deceased’s estate and dependants may seek compensation. The first is the Fatal Accidents Act 1976, which gives qualifying dependants the right to claim for the financial dependency they have lost as a result of the death, together with a statutory bereavement award for certain close relatives. The second is the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934, under which the estate of the deceased can bring claims for losses the deceased suffered before death, including pain and suffering, and financial losses incurred between the accident and the date of death.
Both sets of proceedings are typically brought together. The distinction between them matters because they benefit different people: the dependants’ claims under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 belong to those family members personally, while the estate’s claim under the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934 forms part of the estate and passes through the estate to beneficiaries. Law Lane Solicitors advises bereaved families from our offices in Stratford, High Holborn and Croydon. Founded in 2015, we are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our reviews average 4.95 out of 5 based on over 1,200 reviews.
What does our fatal accident claims service cover?
Fatal accident claims are among the most legally and emotionally demanding instructions a solicitor handles. Our team advises and acts on the following matters:
- Dependency claims under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976, quantifying the financial support, services, and other benefits the dependants have lost as a result of the death, including loss of earnings, pension loss, and the value of services the deceased provided at home.
- Statutory bereavement award claims are available to the deceased’s spouse or civil partner, a cohabiting partner of at least two years, or the parents of an unmarried minor child. The statutory award is a fixed amount set by Parliament and does not vary with the circumstances of the loss.
- Estate claims under the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934, including compensation for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity experienced by the deceased between the accident and death, and for financial losses incurred in that period.
- Funeral expenses claims, which are recoverable as a special head of damage in both dependency and estate claims.
- Fatal accident claims arising from road traffic accidents, where a driver, motorcyclist or other road user has been killed through another driver’s negligence.
- Workplace fatality claims, where an employee has been killed due to employer negligence or a failure to meet duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, advised in conjunction with any inquest proceedings.
- Claims following accidents in public places, where a fatality has been caused by an occupier’s failure under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957.
- Inquest advice, representing families at coroner’s inquests and ensuring that the factual findings made at inquest support the subsequent civil claim.
- Advice on limitation: the three-year time limit for fatal accident claims runs from the date of death or, if later, the date on which the person bringing the claim first had knowledge of the facts needed to bring it, under the Limitation Act 1980.
- Claims where the deceased was a child, advising on the separate rules that apply to claims brought on behalf of minor dependants.
Why choose Law Lane for fatal accident claims?
Fatal accident claims require solicitors who can navigate the dual legal framework effectively, understand how to quantify a dependency claim properly across its many heads of loss, and advise a grieving family with clarity and sensitivity. Dependency claims are often complex: they require financial projections of what the deceased would have earned, pension calculations, and an assessment of the domestic services they provided. Errors in that quantification can badly under-represent the true loss.
We advise families on both the civil claim and the inquest, where one arises. A coroner’s findings are not binding on the civil court, but a well-prepared inquest can produce evidence that strengthens the subsequent claim. We represent families at inquests and ensure the two processes are managed together.
We have solicitors, solicitor-advocates and barristers under one roof. In cases where liability is denied and the claim proceeds to trial, our in-house advocates present the case with full knowledge of the family’s situation built up over the course of the instruction. We treat every fatal accident instruction with the gravity it deserves.
Get in touch
Our personal injury team handles fatal accident claims with the care and precision these matters require. We are available to advise you and your family at a time that suits you.
Phone: 020 7870 4870 or email: info@lawlanesolicitors.co.uk
Law Lane Solicitors is proud to be accredited under The Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation.
Got any questions?
* Required
"*" indicates required fields
Frequently Asked Questions – Fatal Accident Claims
Who can bring a fatal accident claim?
Under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976, the claim is brought by the estate’s personal representatives on behalf of the dependants. Dependants who can claim include the deceased’s spouse or civil partner, former spouse or civil partner, a cohabitant of at least two years, children and other descendants, parents and ancestors, and siblings and other relatives in certain circumstances. The precise definition of dependent is set out in the Act.
What is the statutory bereavement award?
The statutory bereavement award is a fixed sum of money available to the deceased’s spouse or civil partner, to a cohabiting partner who had lived with the deceased for at least two years immediately before the death, or to the parents of an unmarried minor child. The cohabiting partner category was added with effect from 6th October 2020. Parliament sets the amount and does not increase to reflect individual circumstances. Because the figure changes periodically, we advise on the current amount at the time of each instruction rather than stating it here.
How is the dependency claim valued?
The dependency claim represents the financial and other benefits the dependants have actually lost. Lost earnings are the largest element in most cases, calculated by reference to the deceased’s net earnings and the proportion spent on the dependants, using actuarial multipliers applied to the period of likely dependency. The domestic services element covers the value of cooking, childcare, DIY and other tasks the deceased performed. A pension loss element covers the share of pension the surviving spouse or civil partner will no longer receive.
Can I bring a claim if the death occurred at work?
Yes. Where an employer’s negligence or failure to comply with health and safety duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 caused the death, the family can bring a fatal accident claim against the employer. These claims frequently arise alongside criminal investigations or inquests, and we advise on how all three processes interact.
How long do I have to bring a claim for a fatal accident?
Under the Limitation Act 1980, the time limit for a claim under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 is three years from the date of death or, if later, the date of knowledge of the dependant who is bringing the claim. The same three-year period applies to the estate’s claim under the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934. It is important to obtain legal advice promptly to avoid missing this deadline.
What happens at a coroner's inquest?
A coroner’s inquest is an inquiry into the facts of a death: who died, when and where, and how the death came about. Inquests are not criminal proceedings and cannot apportion civil liability, but the factual findings can be very important in the subsequent civil claim. Where someone’s negligence may have caused a death, we advise families on how to participate effectively in the inquest and on how the findings can be used in the civil proceedings.
What is the estate's claim separate from the dependency claim?
The estate’s claim under the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934 covers losses that accrued to the deceased personally before death: pain, suffering and loss of amenity during any period of survival after the accident, and any financial losses incurred before death. These sums pass to the beneficiaries of the estate under the will or intestacy rules and are separate from the dependency sums that go directly to the dependants.
How much does an initial consultation cost?
We offer a fixed-fee initial consultation for fatal accident claims. At that meeting, we advise on who can bring the claim, how the dependency is likely to be valued, the limitation position, and the costs involved. Please get in touch to arrange a time that suits you and your family.
Personal injury team
Tahir Shahab Khan
Supervising Director, Solicitor AdvocateView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Jai Singh
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Monica Coleman
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Nicola Miley
Senior Litigation ExecutiveView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Sajad Zamir
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Accreditations & Memberships
