Compensation Amounts For A Car Park Accident Claim

By Richie Billing. Last Updated 16th November 2023. This guide explains what you need to know when filing a car park accident claim. It defines car park accidents and goes on to mention various types of accidents that may occur in a car park and the legislation which covers them. The guide also mentions examples of car park accidents.

Furthermore, the guide discusses how much can be claimed in a car park accident and gives insight into how compensation may be calculated. Examples of personal injury compensation are listed but are only used as guides and do not determine your payout. If you call our advisors, and you have a valid claim, they could connect you to our panel of solicitors to help you get the compensation you deserve. Here are the ways to reach us:

Call the number at the top of the page
Fill out our claim online form and an advisor will contact you
Speak with an advisor using the live chat feature below

A guide to making a car park accident claim

Choose A Section

An Introduction To Car Park Accident Claims
What Is A Car Park Accident?
Examples Of Car Park Accidents
How Much Could I Get For Car Park Accident Claims?
Car Park Accidents – No Win No Fee Lawyers
More Resources On Car Park Accident Claims

An Introduction To Car Park Accident Claims

You can file car park accident claims to make a case for compensation due to physical and mental injuries caused by the negligence of a third party. You may also pursue compensation for special damages if you incurred financial losses due to your injuries.

Every road user owes a duty of care to other road users as defined in the Road Traffic Act 1988 and The Highway Code. This legislation is in place to ensure that people use the roads in a safe and considerate manner. This is especially important due to the presence of pedestrians.

After a car park accident, the law allows you to make a claim if you’re injured and a third party was responsible.

Can you claim for damage in a car park?

It’s possible to claim for damage to your vehicle or other property following an accident in a car park. If you’re eligible to make a compensation claim, these types of costs fall under a head of claim known as special damages, which relates specifically to financial losses caused by the injuries. It’s important to keep a record of any costs you incur so that your solicitor can claim them back. Receipts, bills and invoices are examples of evidence you can produce to recover financial losses

How long after a car accident can I claim?

Generally speaking, the time limit for a car park accident claim is 3 years from the time of the accident. However, the time limit does not apply if you are under 18 years old at the time of the injury. A litigation friend could claim on your behalf. However, if you reach 18 and a litigation friend hasn’t done this, you’d have 3 years to claim from the date of your 18th birthday.

If you lack the mental capacity to claim, the time limit applies from the date of your recovery. However, a litigation friend could claim on your behalf before this.

Furthermore, if you’re wondering ‘How long does a car crash claim take?’, there’s no fixed time for how long car park damage claims take. The time for settling a claim varies depending on the circumstances. If the defendant admits liability, and your injuries heal without complications, your claim could resolve in a relatively short space of time. However, if the defendant denies liability and your injury takes some time to heal, your claim might take longer.

Although you are not required to get legal advice, it is advised. It could help you in case you are offered compensation that is below what you deserve. It can also be beneficial to have an expert on your side.

The Latest Statistics For Car Accidents

According to the Provisional estimates of reported road casualties in Great Britain, in 2021:

There was an 11% decrease in reported road deaths compared to the previous year.
The amount of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents decreased by 6% compared to the previous year.
there was a 9% decrease in casualties of all severities.

The largest reduction months correspond to the COVID lockdown months of January to March 2021.

What Is A Car Park Accident?

A car park accident is an unplanned incident in the car park that results in an injury, ill-health or damage. If you are injured after a car park accident, you could claim, providing that it was the fault of a party that owed you a duty of care.

In successful car park accident claims, compensation could fall under two heads: general damages and special damages. General damages compensate you for pain and suffering, while special damages compensate for financial losses due to your injury.

If you have been involved in a car park accident and wish to claim, you need proof that the other party was negligent. You also need to prove that their negligence has caused your injury. You could keep records that may contribute to your body of evidence. Photographs, CCTV footage and the details of anyone who saw the accident could be important evidence to gather. Receiving proper medical attention could not only make you more comfortable but the entry in your medical records could help with needed evidence.

Examples Of Car Park Accidents

In a car park, various types of accidents happen and result in different injuries or damages. You could be in a car crash accident in a car park where you get injured. It may also be that you were injured at your workplace where your job role involves working in the car park. It could also be that you experienced some violence of a criminal nature in a car park.

Alternatively, your injuries may not have been caused by another person. You may have tripped on a pothole and fallen, for example. If your injuries were caused because the environment wasn’t safe, you could claim against the party in control of the car park. You’d need to show that their negligence led to the injuries. For example, if the party in control of the car park was aware of the pothole but failed to rectify the hazard within a reasonable timeframe, they may have breached their duty of care. Therefore, you could claim against them for your injuries. The controller’s duty of care is outlined in the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957.

If you’ve been injured in any of the ways above, get in touch with our advisors for a free consultation.

How Much Could I Get For Car Park Accident Claims?

You may wonder how much car accident claims are worth. Example compensation figures shown in the table below are taken from the Judicial College Guidelines. This is a document that legal professionals use when valuing personal injury claims. However, your specific situation will be factored in when calculating your potential compensation for a car park accident claim. The factors that could influence your claim after a road traffic accident include:

Any continuing disabilities caused
The severity of your injuries
Financial losses due to your injury
Whether you’re partially liable for your injuries

Injury	Severity	Notes	Amounts
Arm Injuries	(a) Severe Injuries	Extremely serious. Falls short of amputation.	£96,160 to £130,930
Back Injuries	(a) Severe (ii)	Impaired mobility, bowel and sexual function.	£74,160 to £88,430
(b) Severe Leg Injuries	(ii) Very Serious	Permanent problems with mobility	£54,830 to £87,890
Ankle Injuries	(a) Very Severe	Extensive soft-tissue damage resulting in deformity.	£50,060 to £69,700
Foot Injuries	(e) Amputation of one foot: serious	Prolonged treatment	£24,990 to £39,200
Wrist Injuries	N/A	Complete loss of function in the wrist	£47,620 to £59,860
Shoulder Injuries	(a) Severe	Significant neck and/or arm symptoms	£19,200 to £48,030
Skeletal Injuries	Fractures of Nose or Nasal Complex (i) Serious or multiple fractures	Facial deformity	£10,640 to £23,130
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder	(c) Moderate	Largely recovered	£8,180 to £23,150
Chest Injuries	(d) A relatively simple injury	Single penetrating wound	£12,590 to £17,960

If you’d like our advisors to value your claim for free, why not get in touch?

Car Park Accidents – No Win No Fee Lawyers

Claimants seeking compensation for accidents in car parks may wish to hire legal support. No Win No Fee lawyers could represent car park damage claims under the terms of a type of No Win No Fee known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

When funding the legal services of a solicitor for car park accidents this way, the solicitor typically won’t request an upfront payment. They usually won’t ask claimants to cover ongoing costs either.

Car park damage claims that are successful will have a success fee taken from the award. Success fees are legally capped.

Should your car park accident claim not prove successful, your lawyer typically won’t ask you to pay for their legal services.

Call our advisors to discuss car park accidents. They can assess the validity of your claim for free. If it seems eligible, you could be put into contact with one of the No Win No Fee lawyers from our panel.

How often do car accident claims go to court?

You may wonder how many car accident claims go to court. While there are no concrete figures, the industry standard is around 5%, meaning that approximately 95% of claims are either settled or abandoned before they reach trial.

Trials can be expensive and the risk of losing can be off-putting, which is why efforts are usually made to avoid this outcome.

It’ll likely be the insurance company who pays the car accident compensation if the claim is settled. However, if pursuing a claim against an uninsured or untraced driver, the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) would compensate you.

MIB Payout Examples – Are They The Same As Standard Car Accident Claims?

MIB payout amounts are influenced by a number of contributing factors, just like when claiming against the faulting party. For example, the following elements are considered when you claim through the MIB:

The impact of your injuries and how long it will take for you to recover
Any treatment costs
How much treatment you need
Loss of future income
Any additional financial losses, such as travel fees and prescription fees

Similar to a road traffic accident claim, you could claim general damages through the MIB as well as special damages. MIB payout examples for the UK could compensate you for losses such as:

Medical expenses, including if you have had to pay for any fees outside of the NHS
Any damage to your vehicle
A loss of earnings, both past and future
Costs relating to care, for example if you needed a carer to help you at home whilst you recovered

We can discuss MIB payout amounts with you if you get in touch. Just get in touch with an advisor by using our online chat feature on your screen. If you are eligible, you could be connected to No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel and they could inform you on making a claim through the MIB.

Get Advice On Car Park Accident Claims

To ask about a car park accident claim or any other questions you may have, here are ways you can reach us:

Call the number at the top of the page
Fill out our claim online form and an advisor will contact you
Speak with an advisor using the live chat feature below

More Resources On Car Park Accident Claims

Road accidents and Safety Statistics

Limitation Act 1980

Check out more of our guides below:

Publisher Ruth Vaughn

Writer Mary Marshall