Losing a loved one suddenly is probably the most traumatic event any of us have to face in our lifetime. If that death has occurred as a result of the fault of someone else then the grief and disbelief that you feel will be intensified by anger. You will want an explanation for what has happened. If the cause of the death is sudden, violent or unknown, an inquest may be called. Its purpose is to establish the cause of death and the circumstances leading to it but it does not decide or apportion blame. As a relative you may attend the inquest as interested party or you can appoint a solicitor to attend in your place. He will know the correct procedure for applying to question witnesses and for obtaining information which might assist you in giving answers to your questions or with a later compensation claim. You may also wish to pursue a compensation claim. Of course no amount of money can ever go anywhere near replacing someone close to you who has died but there may a financial need arising from a lost income.

We will deal with all enquiries with the utmost patience and sensitivity. We are here to help guide you through an extremely upsetting process and can refer you to bereavement charities and other counselling agencies. Call us on 0161 707 39033 for immediate assistance.

We can pursue two types of claim for you, one on behalf of the deceased's estate and one on behalf of the dependants. They include spouses and former spouses, children and parents and persons treated as such, grandparents and grandchildren, co-habitees who have lived together for more than two years as husband and wife or civil partners and civil partners or former civil partners.

Damages For The Estate

They consist of the following:

• An award for the deceased's pain and suffering between the accident and the date of death which can include an award for the realisation he was going to die.
• Any items of financial loss suffered by the deceased during the same period.
• Funeral expenses.
  
  

Dependency Damages

They consist of the following:

• Bereavement damages - this is a fixed award of £11,800 payable only to the spouse, parent of a legitimate child under the age of 18 (if there are two parents the award would be divided equally between them) and the mother of an illegitimate unmarried child under the age of 18.
• Dependency loss - A dependent, as defined above, who was financially supported by the deceased, or received services from him, may be able to recover compensation for the dependency loss.
• Funeral expenses.