Skip to main content
  • About
  • News & Insights
  • Careers
  • International
0800 056 4110
Dialog that contains search functionality
Irwin Mitchell Logo
  • Personal
    • Personal
    • Personal Home
    • Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims Home
      • Abuse Claims
      • Accidents In Public Places Claims
      • Criminal Injury Compensation Claims
      • Accident At Work Claims
      • Air, Rail & Maritime Claims
      • Asbestos & Mesothelioma Claims
      • Changing Solicitors During a Personal Injury Claim
      • Group Claims
      • Holiday Accidents & Illness Claims
      • Illness Compensation Claims
      • Industrial Disease Claims
      • Injury Types
      • Military Injury Compensation Claims
      • No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims In Scotland
      • How To Claim Compensation For Personal Injury
      • Product Liability Claims
      • Road Traffic Accident Claims
      • Serious Injury Claims
      • Who Can Help?
      • Support Services
    • Medical Negligence Claims
      • Medical Negligence Claims
      • Medical Negligence Claims Home
      • Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Birth Injury Claims
      • Cauda Equina Syndrome Claims
      • Never Event Claims
      • Ambulance & Paramedic Medical Negligence Claims
      • Cosmetic Surgery Claims
      • Private Healthcare Claims
      • Cerebral Palsy Claims
      • Defective Medical Device Claims
      • Dental Negligence Claims
      • Diabetes Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Fatal Medical Negligence Claims & Inquests
      • GP Negligence Claims
      • Hospital Negligence Claims
      • What Is Medical Negligence?
      • Meningitis Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Failure To Prevent Suicide Claims
      • Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Ophthalmic Negligence Claims
      • Pregnancy & Gynaecology Injury Claims
      • Sepsis Negligence Claims
      • Pharmacy And Medication Negligence Claims
      • Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust Maternity Care Claims
      • Stroke Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Surgery Compensation Claims
    • Counselling
      • Counselling
      • Counselling Home
      • Counselling Myths Dispelled
    • Family Law
      • Family Law
      • Family Law Home
      • Divorce Solicitors
      • Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreement Solicitors
      • Child Abduction Solicitors
      • Civil Partnership Solicitors
      • LGBT+ Family Law Solicitors
      • Unmarried Couples' Rights
      • Divorce Financial Settlement Solicitors
      • Child Arrangement Orders
      • Family Mediation
      • Out of Court Divorce Solicitors
      • Separation Agreement Solicitors
      • Adoption & Surrogacy Solicitors
    • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Wills, Trusts & Estates Home
      • Estate Planning Solicitors
      • Powers Of Attorney
      • Trusts
      • Will Writing Services
      • Will Disputes & Contentious Probate
    • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors
      • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors
      • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors Home
      • Conveyancing Fees Calculator
      • Buying A Property
      • Selling A Property
      • Remortgage
      • Transfer Of Equity
      • Buy To Let
      • Freehold Purchase (Leasehold Enfranchisement) Solicitors
      • Lease Extension Solicitors
      • Conveyancing Guide
      • Residential Property Disputes
    • Tax
      • Tax
      • Tax Home
      • Business Tax
      • Inheritance Tax
      • International Tax
      • Professional Negligence
      • HMRC Tax Investigations
      • Tax Disputes & Litigation
      • Tax Residence
      • Tax Returns & Compliance
      • UK Resident Non-Doms
      • Wealth Structuring
    • Probate
      • Probate
      • Probate Home
      • International Probate
      • Probate Sale Conveyancing
      • What Is Probate & How Does It Work?
    • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes
      • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes
      • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes Home
      • Trust Disputes
      • Inheritance Act Claims
      • Contesting A Will
      • Contentious Probate
      • Pre-Death Agreements
      • Professional Negligence
      • Challenging A Lifetime Gift
      • Financial Abuse
      • Statutory Will Disputes
      • Defending A Contested Will
    • Employment Solicitors
      • Employment Solicitors
      • Employment Solicitors Home
      • Employment Contract Solicitors
      • Employment Disputes
      • Dismissal & Redundancy Solicitors
      • Employment Discrimination Solicitors
      • Employment Lawyers for Legal Expenses Insurance
      • Harassment & Bullying At Work Solicitors
      • Parental & Family Friendly Employment Rights
      • Professional Discipline Solicitors
      • Recruitment & Promotion
      • Senior Executive Employment Lawyers
      • Settlement Agreements
      • Whistleblowing Solicitors
    • Elderly Legal Services
    • Protecting Your Rights
      • Protecting Your Rights
      • Protecting Your Rights Home
      • Actions Against The Police
      • Inquests
      • Environmental & Planning Law
      • Assessment & Treatment Unit Solicitors
      • Data Protection Breach Claims
      • Education Law
      • Healthcare & Social Services
      • Human Rights
      • Judicial Review
      • Mental Capacity
      • Professional Regulation & Discipline
      • Dispute Resolution
      • Legal Aid
    • Immigration Solicitors
      • Immigration Solicitors
      • Immigration Solicitors Home
      • British Citizenship & Naturalisation Solicitors
      • EU & EEA Immigration Solicitors
      • Indefinite Leave To Remain Solicitors
      • Spouse Visa Solicitors
      • Innovator Visa
      • Permanent Residence Solicitors
      • Business Immigration Solicitors
    • Crime & Investigations
      • Crime & Investigations
      • Crime & Investigations Home
      • Crime
      • Fraud & Financial Crime
      • Court Martial Solicitors
      • Motoring Offences Legal Advice
      • Regulatory Investigations & Enforcement
    • Insolvency
      • Insolvency
      • Insolvency Home
      • Business Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Debt Consultancy
      • Insolvency Disputes & Litigation
    • Court Of Protection
      • Court Of Protection
      • Court Of Protection Home
      • Court Of Protection Deputyship
      • Personal Injury Trusts
      • Court Of Protection Problems & Disputes
      • Healthcare and Social Services
      • Court of Protection Frequently Asked Questions
      • Powers Of Attorney Disputes
      • Statutory Wills Solicitors
  • Wealth Management
    • Wealth Management
    • Wealth Management Home
    • Asset Management For Personal Injury
    • Charity & Philanthropy
    • Estate Planning
    • Ethical & Sustainable Investing
    • Financial Planning
    • Intergenerational Wealth Management
    • Investment Management
    • Retirement Financial Planning
    • Family Offices
    • Succession Planning
    • Tax Planning
  • Business
    • Business
    • Business Home
    • Sectors
      • Sectors
      • Sectors Home
      • Agriculture & Rural Business
      • Retail, Leisure & Hospitality
      • Education
      • Financial & Professional Services
      • Landed Estates
      • Manufacturing
      • Real Estate
      • Sport
      • Technology & Communications
    • Banking & Finance
      • Banking & Finance
      • Banking & Finance Home
      • Corporate Banking
      • Leveraged & Acquisition Finance
      • Real Estate Finance
      • Receivables Finance & Asset Based Lending
    • Environmental, Social & Governance
      • Environmental, Social & Governance
      • Environmental, Social & Governance Home
      • Cyber Security
      • Environment
      • Net Zero
      • Social
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Governance
      • International
      • ESG Legal Advisory Services
      • Legislation Library
      • Manufacturing Sector
      • Real Estate
      • Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Sector
      • Sports Sector
    • Business Crime
      • Business Crime
      • Business Crime Home
      • Anti-Bribery & Corruption
      • Asset Tracing & Recovery
      • Cartels & Illegal Price Fixing
      • Cybercrime
      • Dawn Raids
      • Deferred Prosecution Agreements
      • Extradition
      • INTERPOL Red Notices
      • Mutual Legal Assistance
      • Private Prosecution
      • Proceeds Of Crime Act
      • Unexplained Wealth Orders
      • Fraud Lawyers
      • Insider Trading & Market Abuse
      • Corporate Internal Investigations
    • Business Immigration
      • Business Immigration
      • Business Immigration Home
      • Business Visitor Visa
      • Global Business Mobility Visas
      • Innovator Visa
      • Prevention Of Illegal Working
      • Skilled Worker Visas
      • Sole Representative Of An Overseas Business
      • UK Visa Sponsor License
    • Commercial
      • Commercial
      • Commercial Home
      • Commercial Contracts
      • Competition Law
      • GDPR & Data Protection
      • Information Technology
      • Sourcing
      • Notary Public Solicitors
    • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
      • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
      • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Home
      • Banking & Finance Litigation
      • Business Interruption Insurance Lawyers
      • Contract Disputes
      • Defamation & Reputation Management
      • International & Cross-Border Disputes
      • Commercial Debt Recovery
      • Litigation Funding
      • Professional Negligence
    • Corporate
      • Corporate
      • Corporate Home
      • Corporate Advisory
      • Equity Capital Markets
      • Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
      • Private Equity
      • Search Funds and Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Lawyers
    • Costs Team
    • Employment Law
      • Employment Law
      • Employment Law Home
      • Business Immigration
      • Employment Contracts, Policies & Procedures
      • Disciplinary & Grievance
      • Employee & Industrial Relations
      • Employment Lawyers for Legal Expenses Insurance
      • Employment Litigation & Resolution Lawyers
      • Equality, Diversity & Discrimination
      • Flexible Working Arrangements
      • Health & Safety
      • HR Advice Service - IMhrplus
      • Managing Sickness Absence
      • Pensions
      • Recruitment
      • Restrictive Covenants
      • Restructuring & Redundancy
      • Self Employment, Contractors & Agency Workers
      • Employment Seminars, Training & Updates
      • TUPE
    • In-House Counsel
    • Intellectual Property and Media
      • Intellectual Property and Media
      • Intellectual Property and Media Home
      • Defamation & Reputation Management
      • Copyright Lawyers
      • Design Rights Lawyers
      • Image Rights Lawyers
      • Online Marketplace Seller Account Or Listing Suspensions
      • Stopping IP Infringement By Sellers On Online Marketplaces
      • Patent Lawyers
      • Trade Mark Lawyers
      • Trade Secrets Lawyers
    • Legal Helpline
    • Licensing
      • Licensing
      • Licensing Home
      • Betting & Gaming Licensing
      • Event Licences
      • Alcohol Licensing
    • Pensions
      • Pensions
      • Pensions Home
      • Employment
      • Managing Death Benefit Trusts
    • Regulatory & Compliance
      • Regulatory & Compliance
      • Regulatory & Compliance Home
      • Road Transport & Operator Compliance
      • GDPR & Data Protection
      • Regulatory Investigations
      • Account Freezing Orders
      • Anti-Money Laundering
      • Companies House Prosecutions
      • Environment & Safety Regulatory Compliance
      • Financial Services Regulation
    • Real Estate
      • Real Estate
      • Real Estate Home
      • Corporate Occupiers
      • Real Estate Development and Regeneration
      • Construction & Engineering
      • Environmental
      • Real Estate Finance
      • Real Estate Investment
      • Later Living & Care
      • Planning
      • Property Litigation & Real Estate Disputes
      • Real Estate Tax
      • Residential Development
      • Strategic Land
      • Structured Real Estate
    • Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Restructuring & Insolvency Home
      • Corporate Insolvency
      • Partnership Insolvency
      • Directors' Duties
      • Restructuring Plans
      • Debt Recovery (up to £100,000) – Pricing
      • Restructuring
    • Tax
      • Tax
      • Tax Home
      • Corporate Tax
      • Real Estate Tax
      • Tax Investigations
  • People
    • People
    • People Home
    • Search By Name
    • Search By Location
    • Search By Expertise
    • Business Management
  • Offices
    • Offices
    • Offices Home
    • Birmingham
    • Brighton
    • Bristol
    • Cambridge
    • Cardiff
    • Chichester
    • Edinburgh
    • Gatwick
    • Glasgow
    • Leeds
    • Liverpool
    • London
    • Manchester
    • Middlesbrough
    • Newbury
    • Newcastle
    • North Yorkshire
    • Nottingham
    • Reading
    • Sheffield
    • Southampton
  • Contact
  • About
  • News & Insights
  • Careers
  • International
Irwin Mitchell Logo
Dialog with Irwin Mitchell phone number
Call us on 0800 056 4110

We're here 24/7, 365 days a year.

  • Home
  • Personal
  • Personal Injury Claims
  • Serious Injury Claims
  • Fatal Accident Compensation Claims

Fatal Accident Compensation Claims

Trustpilot

Services in: Fatal Accident Compensation Claims

    • Coping With Bereavement

Losing a loved one in a fatal accident is one of the most traumatic experiences anyone can go through. We understand the difficulties you may face and can help you claim compensation for your loss.

Our team of fatal accident solicitors can help you and your family find out what caused your loved one's accident and who was responsible. Contact our team to see how we can help you.

As well as coping with the grief of losing a loved one, you may also be worried about the financial impact it’ll have on your family. We could help you claim fatal accident compensation to help make sure you and your family have the money you need to get through this difficult time.

We often take fatal accident claims on a no win no fee basis. This means you don’t have to pay anything upfront and don’t have anything to pay should your claim be unsuccessful.

Can I make a fatal accident claim?

We've helped many people claim compensation after losing loved ones in:

  • Road traffic accidents
  • Medical accidents
  • Accidents at work.

If a family member has died in unusual or unclear circumstances, their death may be reported to a coroner who might decide to hold an inquest.

Our team of solicitors will not only help you recover the compensation you're entitled to, but they'll be there for you whenever you need them. For more information on how we support grieving families, please visit our bereavement page.

Our serious injury team have decades of experience in helping families deal with the loss of a loved one. We’ll support you every step of the way, from making a claim to guiding you through an inquest.

Independent legal guides such as Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners rank us as experts in fatal injury claims. You can rest assured that we’ll work closely with you to understand your situation and needs.

As a full-service law firm, you’ll also benefit from advice in other areas of law if you need it. Our probate solicitors and financial advisors can help you deal with a loved one’s estate. Our Asset Management team can also help manage a compensation settlement, so it lasts as long as possible.

We also have an in-house team of Support and Rehabilitation coordinators. This team are trained medical experts and can help identify support you could benefit from following the loss of a loved one. This support will always be local to you.

We always work with various charities around the UK that can offer tailored support after the loss of a loved one. One charity we work closely with is Widowed & Young, a specialist fatal accident charity across the UK.

After the loss of a loved one, you might be struggling with the emotions you’re feeling. We’ve an in-house counsellor, Vicky Lambert, who’s available for one-to-one sessions. Given the long waiting lists for counsellors, Vicky’s services are popular amongst many of our clients because they’re only available to people who’ve used our legal services.

Links with Road Peace and other charities
Expert representation at inquests
Investigation team – including former police investigators
Offices across the UK

Call our experts FREE on:

0800 056 4110

Or we can call you back at a time of your choice

Phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year

Contact us today

For a free initial consultation

Freephone

0800 056 4110

Prefer not to call?

Use our form

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.

Claire Newstead Partner Meet the team

Fatal Accident Claims - More Information

Firstly, we’ll talk about your situation in a free initial consultation. We’ll explain how the inquest and claims processes work and talk about the funding options available to pay for your case.

We’ll then collect evidence to support your fatal accident claim and use this to work out a compensation amount that meets your needs. We’ll keep you updated with what’s happening throughout your claim, explaining the process to you each step of the way.

After we’ve collected evidence for your case, we’ll contact those responsible for your loved one’s death. We’ll try to reach a settlement that meets your needs, as well asking them to apologise for your loss.

Most fatal accident claims are settled out of court. However, if we can’t reach a sum that we feel is fair and reasonable, or if the opposing party won't accept fault, we’ll start court proceedings to get the compensation and answers you deserve.

Every fatal accident claim is unique. For this reason, we can’t give you an exact timeframe until we know more about your claim.

When you contact us and tell us more, we’ll be able to give you more guidance on how long your claim will take.

In the UK, you’ll have three years to make a fatal injury claim. The time limit usually starts from the date of the injury or accident.

In some cases, the time limit can start from when you realised injuries from an accident caused the death of your loved one.

If the accident happened abroad, the time limits might be shorter. We always advise you to contact us as soon as possible to start your claim in time.

Most of the claims we handle are on a no win no fee basis. This means that you don't need to worry about paying anything upfront and that you won’t have to pay any legal fees if your claim isn’t successful.

If you need expert legal representation at the inquest or at any other time, our dedicated fatal accident lawyers will be on hand to guide you through the process.

We understand that losing a loved one in a fatal accident could affect your finances. Your compensation can help you cover some costs you could face if you have to make these payments by yourself. We’ll work out how much compensation you’ll get depending on several things, including:

  • The pain or suffering your loved one could have experienced
  • Funeral costs
  • Medical expenses
  • Loss of benefits like pensions.

Everyone’s circumstances are different, but we’ll make sure your compensation covers your needs. So, you can rest assured you and your family will be financially secure.

Our lawyers can support you in several ways following a fatal accident. We’re aware that, aside from the trauma of sudden bereavement, losing a loved one can have a big impact on your finances. We’ll fight to make sure that you and your family have the money you need to get through this difficult time and are financially secure in the future.

We can get you compensation for any pain and suffering your loved one may have experienced, as well as paying for necessary costs like:

  • Funeral costs
  • Household expenses
  • Medical expenses
  • Loss of benefits (such as pension rights)
  • Childcare costs
  • Counselling services.
mental health worker chatting with client

I valued the honesty of the solicitor that I dealt with. The approachability and the humanness. They were caring."

Client

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you represent me at an inquest?

When a person dies in unexpected or unclear circumstances, an inquest may be held to help get answers. 

An inquest is a public hearing into the reasons why a person has died. If the reasons why your loved one died are unclear, then you may be asked to attend an inquest to get answers to these questions.

While this may seem daunting, inquests are usually quite relaxed and most of them are held without a jury or other lawyers present.

We can represent you at an inquest if necessary and guide you through it before we meet with the coroner’s office and the police on your behalf. We'll request early access to any documents that may be used during the inquest. Should you need it, we can also question witnesses before the inquest takes place. The most important thing is finding out why your loved one died, which will always be taken into consideration when we represent you at an inquest. 

If your loved one died after undergoing medical care or treatment, we can help you get answers from the NHS or medical professional who treated them. 

What is a statutory bereavement award?

Our serious injury experts can offer you advice on statutory bereavement awards and other state benefits.

This award is currently a fixed sum of £15,120 and can be awarded in addition to personal injury compensation, which you can claim separately. This award can be paid to a child who was under 18 at the time of the fatal accident, or the husband/wife of the deceased.

This can help pay for:

  • Funeral expenses (although these can be compensated for separately)
  • The return home of your loved one’s body if they were abroad when they died
  • Loss of earnings.

Read more about statutory bereavement awards.

Read More FAQs

Related Information - Fatal Accident Claims

Asset Management - our asset management team can advise you on how to take care of your compensation
Bereavement - we help grieving families seek answers after a traumatic experience
Personal Injury Trusts - we could help you set up a trust to protect your eligibility for benefits
Public Law & Human Rights - our Public Law & Human Rights team can help you defend your rights

Scottish Flag All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to funding is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means as well as a separate funding agreement.

 

About Irwin Mitchell

Founded in Sheffield in 1912, Irwin Mitchell has always been a bit different. Our advisers really get to know the people and business that we help.

We have offices around the UK so wherever you are, our experts can help.

Contact Us

Give us a ring to speak to a member of our team in the strictest confidence. Or you can fill out our contact form and we'll ring you back.

0800 056 4110

Our phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year

Get a call back

Fill in your details below and we'll be in touch as soon as possible

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.

  • Contact
  • 0800 056 4110
  • Contact Irwin Mitchell
  • Social Media
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • About Irwin Mitchell
  • About Us
  • Responsible Business
  • Careers
  • Business Management
  • Alumni Programme
  • Pay A Bill
  • Complaints Procedure
  • SRA Regulated
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy & Security
  • Hoaxes
  • Modern Slavery Act Statement
  • Manage Cookie Settings

© 2025  Irwin Mitchell LLP

Irwin Mitchell LLP is authorised & regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our Regulatory Information

Dialog that contains a form to request a callback.

Request A Callback

Enter your details below and a member of our team will contact you within 24 hours

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.