Road Traffic Accident Claims Solicitors in Belfast & Northern Ireland

You have three years to claim injury compensation sustained in a road traffic accident. The time limit usually begins from the time your car, motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrian accident occurred. However, it can commence at a later date if you are not immediately aware of your injuries.

Vehicle repair or replacement after a road accident

You have six years to claim for vehicle damage and credit hire vehicle charges incurred whilst your vehicle was being repaired or replaced.

Road traffic accident claims for minors

If you were injured in a road accident as a child, the three-year time limit begins on your 18th birthday.

Issuing proceedings during a road traffic accident claim

Many believe they have three years to instruct a road traffic accident solicitor but this is incorrect. You must issue proceedings before the three year time limit running out so it is important to seek legal advice well in advance. If you fail in this, your case will very likely get statute-barred, preventing you from claiming.

Learn more about road traffic accident claims limitation periods

You can find out more about road traffic accident claims limitation periods by reading our blog on the topic: How long do I have to claim?

The length of time varies from case to case. We typically find that the length of time it takes to bring a case from instruction to settlement or hearing is intrinsic with the complexities of a case. In most instances, a straightforward road traffic accident case will conclude quicker than a complex case.

Three months to several years

In instances where a personal injury case is relatively straightforward, we often bring it to conclusion in as little as three months. Road traffic accident cases of a more complex nature can take several years to conclude. This is due to the severity of the injuries sustained and the number of medical reports required to progress the case.

Road traffic accident claim delays

Whether the defendant accepts or denies liability will also factor in how long it can take. In some rare instances, the other driver’s insurer or solicitor can cause avoidable delays. For example, they may fail to respond to letters in a timely manner. We have the expertise and experience to mitigate against such delays should they occur.

The length of time required to conclude a road traffic accident claim is also subject to court availability should the case be required to proceed to a hearing. This is particularly amplified when the courts are experiencing a backlog.

We are road traffic accident specialist solicitors

Our solicitors have a reputation for progressing road accident claims quickly and ensuring any unnecessary delays are avoided.

The amount of compensation is linked to the injuries sustained and the amount of time that was required for you to recover.

Brackets of road traffic accident injury compensation

We get an idea of how much compensation our road traffic accident clients are entitled to by referring to the Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases in Northern Ireland from The Judicial Studies Board for Northern Ireland. This is also known as “The Green Book”. It provides brackets of compensation for all injuries ranging from soft tissue injuries such as whiplash to serious and lifechanging injuries such as severe brain damage.

It is important to note that The Green Book is a guide. There are lots of other factors that may be factored in that could impact the level of compensation. This depends on your unique set of circumstances and how the injury was sustained.

General damages and special damages

The guide also only refers to general damages. This is the compensation that you’re entitled to for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries. You may also be entitled to special damages. These are designed to compensate you for things like your loss of earnings, damage to your property and even opportunities you missed.

You may still be able to make a claim for compensation when you are partly liable for the circumstances surrounding the road traffic accident. This is called contributory negligence.

Contributory negligence

If the road traffic accident claim is successful, the amount paid to you in damages would be reduced in line with how responsible you were. For example, if it could be determined that you were 20% responsible, you would receive 20% less in compensation than you would have got had the defendant been entirely responsible.

Always speak with a road traffic accident specialist solicitor

It should be noted that sometimes people think they were responsible or partly responsible for a road accident when the facts of the matter would suggest otherwise. You should always seek independent legal advice from a road traffic accident claims solicitor before conceding liability.

It is not uncommon for car insurance companies or other organisations to contact you shortly after a road traffic accident in the hope to dissuade you from claiming or to make you an offer. This is known as third party capture and rarely has your best interest at heart. It is important that you obtain independent legal advice before accepting any offers or deciding whether you would like to claim or not.

More on third party capture

You can learn more by reading our blog post on the dangers of third party capture.

We can offer advice even if you were involved in a hit-and-run collision or if the other driver was not insured. This can be achieved by claiming from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau.

Click to learn more about uninsured or untraced (hit & run) driver claims.

No. In the vast majority of circumstances, you will not have to visit our Belfast city centre offices unless you want to.

Northern Ireland solicitors

We have represented people injured in road traffic accidents from all corners of Northern Ireland who did not have to make the journey to Belfast.

We can take care of the paperwork by using email and post and communicate with you through phone calls, video conferencing or email whilst we progress your case. The majority of the road traffic accident claims that we deal with are settled in advance of the case reaching court. This means that most of our clients don’t have to visit our offices or attend court.

Belfast city centre offices

Despite these conveniences, many people like to meet their solicitor in person. This is understandable and we can cater for this preference. Our offices are central, accessible and comfortable.

We can still help if your road accident occurred in the Republic of Ireland through our sister firm, F.V. Harty & Co.

We are unable to assist if your accident occurred in England, Scotland or Wales. However, we can refer you to several reputable firms in those jurisdictions that are members of the UK200Group. Our fellow group members must adhere to very strict quality and assurance standards which means you can be assured all advice and services are meeting high standard.

We offer a free initial consultation that allows us to establish if you have a viable road accident claim or not.

The losing party pays

In road traffic accident litigation, the normal rule is that the losing party pays the legal costs of the winning party. This is also what usually happens when a case is settled outside of court, even if it settled without admission of liability. If a case proceeds to court, the courts can usually be expected to order the loser to pay the winner’s legal costs. This typically means that there is no cost to you when pursuing personal injury compensation.

No win no fee road traffic accident claims in Northern Ireland

This is different from a conditional fee arrangement. The Law Society of Northern Ireland, our governing body, does not permit its members to operate using conditional fee agreements, more commonly referred to as no win no fee arrangements. You can learn more about why this is so and what alternatives exist at No Win No Fee Northern Ireland.

Legal Aid and legal expenses insurance

We may be able to apply for Legal Aid on your behalf. Or we might be able to secure After The Event (ATE) legal expenses insurance which means you only pay a small premium should the claim be unsuccessful. However, most of the time, our expert personal injury solicitors can predict the outcome of a case with great accuracy and advise you accordingly. Your solicitor would provide you with a range of options and ensure you fully understand each of them.

No hidden fees for road traffic accident claims

There are no hidden fees or unexpected bills during any part of the McCartan Turkington Breen client journey.