How we secured fatal injury compensation after a road traffic accident, when other firms wouldn’t.
After the death of her son, our client struggled to find legal support to seek compensation as firms were concerned about the low value of the claim and couldn’t see a dependency claim. That’s where we came in.
Fayonne Sandy came to us two years after the death of her son, Zaide, having been referred by the Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS). On first consideration, it appeared that she would not be entitled to more than limited compensation due to the fact that her son was only just 19 years old; it is challenging to demonstrate dependency of a mother on their son at this age, particularly when they live at home and seem to have no employment.
The case was made more challenging due to the fact that the accident appeared to be a deliberate act by the driver, ramming her son off the road and thereby causing the injuries that resulted in his death a couple of hours later.
Determined to help Fayonne, who at this stage was struggling with debt and other family issues, our fatal injury claims team took on the case.
About MASS solicitors.
Hear Jane Loney from MASS – who spoke to Fayonne initially about her case – talk about how this case illustrates the need for specialist injury claim representation, as found in their directory of solicitors.
Finding the dependency.
On review of initial information, the fact Fayonne’s son Zaide lived at home and had no job made it seem that a dependency claim was unlikely. However, our team took as much information as possible to establish estate losses that may be recoverable,
However, as we looked further into the background of the relationship between Fayonne and Zaide, as well as her personal circumstances at the time, there was more to their story.
Not only was Fayonne reliant on Zaide for childcare of her grandson, for whom she is a guardian, but also emotional support in the event she experienced periodical issues with her mental health. Furthermore Fayonne had housing debts that she intended to pay off with her son’s help when he found work; work that her son had been due to start just days after his death, according to a potential employer found in the course of our investigations.
Zaide was recognised in the community as someone who had so much more to give, and it was our privilege to be able to represent his mother and assist her in whatever way we could. Hear from two members of his local community talk about what Zaide meant to them and the local area:
Securing compensation.
The specialist knowledge and experience of our fatal injury team meant that, with this information, we were able to establish Fayonne’s financial and services dependency on her son. Additionally, the team were able to establish a loss of services claim for her grandson, separate to her claim.
A settlement was therefore approved for Fayonne in the sum of £33,500 for estate losses and dependency, as well as £1500 for her grandson.
When you’ve lost someone as a result of an accident, you may find yourself concerned about the future. At RWK Goodman, we’re here to help secure it.
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