Stabbing Compensation Claims

The physical injuries caused by stabbings can be extremely serious, life-threatening or even fatal. In addition, a stabbing victim is likely to suffer serious emotional injuries ranging from fear for life, depression or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These symptoms can be long-lasting and affect the victim’s everyday life and ability to work. If you’ve suffered stab wounds caused by someone else, you could receive damages from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) to help you recover, as much as possible, from your injuries.

We can help you make a CICA claim following a stabbing. First of all, an advisor will review your case to ensure it meets the criteria for CICA claims. If it does, you’ll be partnered with a personal injury lawyer from our panel who’ll review your case in more detail. If they agree to help you claim, they’ll manage your case from beginning to end on a No Win, No Fee basis. As a result, you won’t need to worry about paying any legal fees whatsoever unless compensation is awarded.

Please call 0800 652 1345 if you’ve suffered stab wounds and would like to claim compensation. Alternatively, read on to learn more about your options.

What is the CICA?

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is a government agency that provides compensation to innocent victims of violent crimes. Each year, the CICA deals with around 30,000 injury claims and pays out over £130m of compensation.

Each claim is handled by a CICA officer who will assess the case against the scheme’s eligibility criteria and award compensation based on the scheme’s tariff of injuries.

Can I claim compensation for stab wounds?

Some of the key criteria that a solicitor from our panel will check before agreeing to take on a claim for stab wounds include:

• Were you an innocent victim of the crime? i.e. you didn’t incite the criminal in any way.
• Have you suffered stab wounds or psychiatric damage from that crime?
• Have you reported the crime to the police?
• Did you help the police with their enquiries?
• Are you applying within the 2-year time limit for CICA claims (sometimes longer depending on the circumstances)?

One thing to bear in mind with stabbing compensation claims is that CICA could still agree to award compensation even if the criminal involved was never caught, questioned or prosecuted by the police. That’s because the CICA officer involved will consider all of the evidence and try to determine the case on the balance of probabilities. This is different to how criminal claims must be proven ‘beyond reasonable doubt’

If you’ve been stabbed and would like to claim for your injuries, please call our team today and let us review your options for free.

Types of stabbing injuries you could claim compensation for

Stabbings can result in a variety of very serious injuries. The CICA scheme categorises each different type of injury and assigns a compensation amount to each. Some of the types of injuries caused by being stabbed that could be paid for include:

• Fatal stab wounds.
• Internal injuries and organ damage.
• Brain damage.
• Paralysis.
• Amputations of digits and loss of limbs.
• Punctured lungs.
• Peripheral sensory nerve damage.
• Soft tissue injuries including torn ligaments, muscles or tendons.
• Permanent scarring.
• Mental injuries.

Additionally, close relatives or loved ones might be entitled to claim compensation through the CICA scheme if they are present at the time the victim was stabbed or during the immediate aftermath.

Can I claim for someone who suffered fatal stab wounds?

No amount of compensation will make things any easier if you’ve lost a loved one from fatal stab wounds. However, the CICA scheme does allow for such claims as compensation may make things a little easier especially if you were financially dependent on the deceased.

The CICA could cover the following a fatal stabbing:

• Dependency payments to qualifying relatives who were dependent physically or financially on the deceased.
• Funeral payments to cover the cost of funeral expenses for someone who died as a direct result of a stabbing.
• A standard bereavement payment of £11,000 to support you if you’ve lost a loved one (this may be shared if more than one claimant is eligible).
• Child payments for those under the age of 18 whose parent died as a result of a stab injury.

If you wish to claim for wrongful death, please get in touch with us today. We’ll handle your enquiry compassionately and we won’t put you under any pressure to claim. We will always provide free legal advice about your options though.

How much compensation do you get for being stabbed?

The way CICA claims are processed is slightly different to personal injury claims. If your claim is upheld, the first part of your stabbing compensation will relate to your physical injuries.

An independent specialist will therefore examine your injuries and review your medical records to establish the extent of the stab injuries you’ve sustained. The CICA will then award a set amount of compensation from their tariff of injuries for your 3 most serious injuries.

After that, you could also be awarded compensation for special expenses such as:

• Lost income: this could cover losses if your stab wounds resulted in an inability to work for longer than 28 weeks.
• The cost of a carer: CICA compensation can be awarded if you needed help with some daily activities as a result of the stabbing.
• Medical expenses: while private care isn’t paid for by CICA claims, you could claim costs linked to your NHS treatment.
• Home modifications: to help you deal with any permanent disability caused by the stabbing, CICA could cover the cost of making changes to your home.
• Special equipment: You could be awarded a sum to cover the cost of specialist equipment to help you deal with permanent injuries such as kitchen aids, specialist wheelchairs or an adapted vehicle.

It should be pointed out that these expenses must meet the following criteria:

• They are incurred by the applicant as a direct consequence of the criminal injury, on or after the injury date.
• They are not available free of charge from another source or a similar provision.
• The cost of these expenses is deemed reasonable.

If your stabbing compensation claim is taken on, your solicitor will know what you can or cannot claim for and will try to ensure you receive all of the compensation you are entitled to.

Providing proof for stabbing compensation claims

While CICA officers process claims on the balance of probabilities, providing proof to support your case could help them to reach a decision sooner. It could also help to justify a higher amount of compensation for your stab wounds. Some of the proof that might be used as part of a stabbing compensation claim include:

• Crime reference number. First and foremost, your solicitor will supply the police crime reference number to prove that your stabbing was reported to the police – this is mandatory in all stabbing compensation claims made through the CICA.
• Medical information. To help establish the severity of your stab wounds, your solicitor will provide copies of medical notes from the hospital that treated your wound. Independent medical reports will also be obtained to help determine your prognosis.
• Psychological or counselling reports. Reports or assessments from a mental health professional, psychologist, or therapist, can help with proving the psychological impact of the stabbing and any resulting mental health conditions such as PTSD.
• Police investigation notes. The CICA officer dealing with your claim will apply for copies of any notes taken by the police officer that investigated your stabbing.
• Photographic proof. In addition to your medical records, photographs of your stab wounds might be used to prove the extent of your suffering.
• Financial documents. Bank statements, wage slips, benefits documents and other financial information might be needed to help CICA staff process any claim for special expenses linked to your stabbing.

Your solicitor will liaise with CICA staff on your behalf and provide any information that’s requested of them as swiftly as possible to try and prevent any delay in processing your claim.

Stabbing compensation claim time limits

The time limit for lodging a stabbing compensation claim is generally two years from the date of the incident.

An exception to this rule is when a child has been stabbed. In this case, the child’s time limit begins from the date of their 18^th birthday. However, adults including parents or guardians can claim on the child’s behalf before that date.

Another exception is if the victim lacked mental capacity at the time of the incident, or due to being stabbed. The two-year time limit will not usually apply until they regain mental capacity. This ensures that individuals with impaired capacity can still pursue their claim when they are capable of doing so.

In exceptional circumstances, you may also be entitled to claim after the 2-year limitation period. For example, stabbings relating to sexual assaults that you couldn’t talk to the police about right away could be seen as exceptional circumstances. In these cases, you may be able to claim compensation within 2 years of reporting the crime rather than when it happened.

No Win, No Fee claims

Making any type of compensation claim might mean you have to answer difficult legal or medical questions. In our opinion, the claims process isn’t so overwhelming if you let a specialist solicitor deal with everything on your behalf. Importantly, so you don’t need to risk any money upfront, our panel of solicitors can offer a No Win, No Fee service for all stabbing compensation claims they accept.

When you begin the claims process, you’ll receive a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Once you’ve signed the contract, work on your claim can begin. Your solicitor will:

• Complete the CICA paperwork on your behalf.
• Submit the paperwork along with any supporting documentation and proof.
• Liaise with the CICA officers while the stabbing compensation claim is being processed.
• Let you know how the claim is progressing with regular updates.
• Advise you of any settlement offer that is made.

If your offer does not seem fair, your solicitor can appeal through a CICA tribunal for you. Before doing so, they’ll review the offer with you to consider whether it covers your suffering sufficiently.

When claiming on a No Win, No Fee basis you:

• Won’t be asked to pay legal fees in advance.
• Don’t pay legal fees if the claim is not successful.
• Only pay legal fees if you receive compensation from the CICA.

If you are compensated, you’ll have a fixed percentage of any compensation deducted to pay your solicitor for their work. This success fee is legally capped at 25% and the percentage you’ll pay will be listed in the CFA at the start of the claims process.

Start a stabbing compensation claim today

The simplest way to start a stabbing compensation claim today is to call one of our specialist advisors on 0800 652 1345. You can discuss your case with one of our specialist advisors who’ll answer your questions and offer free legal advice.

Following your call, we could partner you with one of our personal injury lawyers if you decide you want to claim through the CICA scheme. If they decide to represent you, you’ll benefit from a No Win, No Fee service meaning you won’t need to pay legal fees upfront.

Please use live chat to connect with us if you have any further questions on stabbing compensation claims, or claim your free consultation here.