If an accident with a lorry or other type of HGV led to you or someone you know being injured, then you are entitled to claim compensation. We work on a no win no fee basis, meaning there’s no financial risk to you if you don’t win your claim.
Table of contents:
- When can you make an HGV accident claim?
- How to claim successfully
- Why claim Lorry/HGV accident compensation?
- How Direct2Compensation can help
- Comments – your questions answered
The huge weight of a fully loaded lorry or any other HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) represents a serious danger to those travelling on the road when there is a collision. The severity of injuries can be far worse than simply whiplash or soft tissue damage. Commonly, we see bone fractures, psychological trauma and head injuries forming the central point of an HGV accident claim. Many claimants suffer limited mobility and independence, and are unable to work or maintain their pre-accident day-to-day lifestyle.
When can you make an HGV accident claim?
When someone is injured a road traffic accident or any other incident involving an HGV, the injured party can look to pursue a claim for compensation. As with all claims, you must allege negligence (responsibility) against someone else, as it is not possible to claim compensation if the injured party was at fault and is responsible for their own injuries.
Common scenarios leading to lorry and HGV accident compensation claims include:
- A lorry or HGV colliding with the rear of a vehicle at a junction
- Poorly maintained vehicles being unfit for use
- HGV drivers failing to take sufficient rests (as required by law) and causing collisions due to fatigue
- A driver losing control and leaving the highway
In all cases, someone making a compensation claim is doing so because they have been injured as a result of someone else’s mistake or negligence.
HGV operators and drivers that fail to ensure safety, compliance with relevant vehicle maintenance, adequate driver training and strict adherence to safety regulations are likely to be held liable should any accidents involving their vehicles lead to injuries.
This would also apply to any HGV driver injured by their own vehicle, with such claims falling under an accident at work.
Driver responsibilities
Drivers, owners and operators have strict responsibilities regarding the driving and maintenance of the vehicles. Drivers must hold a specific goods vehicle driving license and the standard of their driving is subject to regular inspections.
Lorries and other HGVs are subject to being fitted with tachographs – a device that automatically records its speed and distance, together with the driver’s activity. When involved in a road traffic accident, it is likely that the tachograph will be checked to show the speed and distance travelled by the driver. This can indicate whether a driver has taken sufficient rest stops and driven safely.
How to claim successfully
HGV accident claims are made in the same way as when two car drivers have an accident and in that respect, pursuing a claim is a fairly straightforward matter. Lorry and HGV operators will be liable to compensate any persons that are injured in a road traffic accident that involves their vehicle if they are at fault for the accident or cause of the injury.
Compensation claims will succeed if the claimant can demonstrate that the driver or operator was responsible for causing the accident through negligent driving, lack of maintenance or failing to adhere to regulations covering HGV driver working hours. If this can be shown, they will be liable to compensate the injured person.
As with all road traffic accident compensation claims, it is vital that the claimant has the relevant information of the parties involved in the accident. Therefore, anyone injured should record the following information. If you haven’t already, don’t worry, we can help you to do so.
- Details of drivers involved (Lorry/HGV driver details) and those of the 3rd party vehicle driver
- Vehicle registration details for all vehicles involved
- Accident location (street name/road number etc) and date of accident
- Details of any witnesses
- Your details and involvement in the accident should be recorded with the lorry or HGV company that owns and operates the vehicle that caused the collision
In most cases, when a qualified lorry or HGV driver is involved in a collision, they will ensure that they have properly recorded the details listed above, but it is wise to ensure that you also take a record.
Why claim Lorry/HGV accident compensation?
There are many compelling reasons for pursuing an HGV accident compensation claim, and at Direct2Compensation we know how to go about ensuring that your rights are protected.
All our claims are made on a no win no fee basis so you will never be charged if your claim does not succeed. If successful, your claim will lead to a financial settlement being made to you, with the value of your claim including any lost income and incurred costs as well as a settlement value for the injuries you have suffered and medical treatment that has been required.
Claiming compensation can help ease some of the problems caused by the injuries that have been sustained. As well as claiming a financial compensation settlement, claiming compensation with Direct2Compensation and our expert solicitors can also help you in other ways.
- Making a lorry and HGV accident compensation claim is a legal right, and if successful will fairly compensate the injured party for injuries that were not their fault.
- It can release funds from the liable party to pay for private medical treatment and rehabilitation therapies to speed the recovery process of the injured party.
- A successful claim settlement will make up for lost income now and in the future if the injuries that are being claimed for have prevented you from working, either temporarily or permanently.
Specialist rehabilitation therapies
When your compensation claim is active and your specialist solicitor has had sufficient liaisons with the 3rd party that they have been able to obtain an admission of liability (from the insurers that provide the vehicle insurance for the liable party), your claim will succeed. It is at this point, that your solicitor can look to obtain specialist rehabilitation therapy if it is deemed relevant to your injuries.
Lorry or HGV accident compensation claims may involve really serious injuries or death, but whether the injuries are life changing or more short-term, it could be that specialist rehabilitation therapies could aid or boost recovery. If your solicitor is advised that private specialist treatments could assist you, they will look to organise them at the expense of the third party dealing with your claim. Further information on this will be available from your solicitor once your claim has been active for a sufficient amount of time.
How Direct2Compensation can help
If you’ve been injured in a lorry or HGV accident, is important to make sure that the details of your accident have been recorded properly and with the right people. In most cases, the first point of call would be to make yourself and injury symptoms known to the driver of the lorry or HGV that collided with you. The injured person should also report the accident to their own vehicle insurers if they were driving a car at the time of the collision, or contact the operator that owns the vehicle that caused the collision. As previously stated, medical attention should sought for any injuries that have been sustained in the accident.
If you haven’t completed these steps already, we can help you to do so and advise you as to what you need to do.
Direct2Compensation work with some of the best personal injury compensation solicitors in the UK. With our easy to understand claims process and ability to handle your claim quickly, simply and transparently, there are many reasons that make us the right choice when it comes to starting your compensation claim.
If you have suffered an injury and want to know if you can make a claim for compensation, contact us today. You can start your claim online or , and one of our expert team will be in touch to offer help. Alternatively, call us on 01225 430285.
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