If you have been injured as a result of a criminal act you may be able to make a claim for personal injury compensation. You may have been the direct victim of, for example, an assault or an attack or your injury may have been sustained when you were attempting to help the police after a crime had been committed. If a person has died because of their injuries then a close relative of the victim may claim (see fatal accident compensation for more information).
Ways to claim criminal injury compensation
You may claim personal injury compensation directly from the individual involved, but if successful you may need to enforce the judgement to secure the compensation. So even if you win your case you may not receive the compensation.
Alternatively if the criminal act took place at work you may be able to claim compensation from your employer. You would need to prove that your employer was negligent and exposed you to the risk of personal injury.
If eligible you may claim compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
About the Criminal Injury Compensation Authority
The Criminal Injury Compensation Authority (CICA) is a government organisation that can pay money (an award) to people who have been physically or mentally injured because they were the blameless victim of a violent crime. The offender does not necessarily have to have been convicted of, or even charged with the crime for you to make a claim. However your injury claim could be affected by your behaviour, your criminal record or your failure to co-operate with the police.
How to make a Criminal Injury Compensation Claim
You must report the incident to the police at the earliest opportunity and an application must normally be made within two years of the incident. However, in exceptional circumstances, the authority may be willing to extend this limit. An example would be if you are making a claim for abuse you suffered as a child.
Call us and speak to one of our experts. There will be no charge and we can advise you on whether you can make a criminal injury compensation claim. We can usually work on a ‘no win no fee’ basis so there are no up-front or hidden charges. We will make every effort to settle your claim quickly. The process may seem complex but we will undertake all the hard work and keep you informed on the progress of your claim. We have many years of experience of criminal injuries claims. We will efficiently collect evidence and professionally present your case to CICA to ensure you receive the best outcome. Many compensation claims are thrown out by CICA every year, we will endeavour to make sure yours is not among them.
