Q. I was in a car accident a couple of years ago which was my fault (yes, alright, I am a woman). My husband was in the passenger seat and he suffered a whiplash injury. He did nothing about it at the time but last week he saw a personal injury advert on the TV and is now wondering whether he could still make a claim. Can he do this, even though I caused the accident, and it happened over 2 years ago?
A. Yes, he can make a claim against your insurance company as he was an innocent party in the accident. The fact that you caused the accident does not prevent him from claiming. The usual time limit for bringing a claim is 3 years from the date of the accident so he still in time to bring a claim provided he acts quickly.
Q. My 8 year old daughter was in the car too and bumped her head. Can I claim for her injury?
You couldn't claim for her as you caused the accident. However, your husband or another close relative could bring a claim on your daughter's behalf at any time up to her 18 th birthday. Thereafter, your daughter has 3 years from her 18 th birthday to bring her own claim.
Should you have any queries regarding a legal matter please contact Keith Swan of Patterson, Glenton & Stracey Solicitors by email at ks@pgslaw.co.uk or by telephone on 0808 231 7043. Patterson, Glenton & Stracey have provided legal advice to the people of South Tyneside for over 125 years. For details of their full range of services and to view previous Gazette articles please log on to www.pgslaw.co.uk.
