Nery’s* was involved in a collision with another vehicle and later died at hospital of her injuries.
Challenges and how we supported
She left behind young children who now had to be looked after by other family members. We made early contact with the insurer, who admitted responsibility for causing the crash. The insurer however raised issue with Nery’s not being seat-belted and argued that they should not be responsible to pay the full value of the claim.
The claim was assessed on the basis that the children were dependent on a part of their Mum’s income, and the services that she would have provided in bringing them up, which would have continued until the youngest child reached adulthood.
The outcome
In negotiation, the claim was settled in the sum of around £500,000, which took into account the fact that Nery's was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident.
In claims such as this, any settlement must be approved by the court, so we arranged the necessary court approval. The monies, whilst never able to replace their Mum, have provided her children with financial security.
*Not their real name
