Roundabout Accident Claims – How Much Compensation Can I Claim?

Roundabout accidents are perhaps one of the most common types of Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) that occur and regularly cause a lot of damage that can leave those involved with serious personal injuries. If you’ve been injured in a collision at a roundabout and the accident was caused by somebody else, you could be compensated for your suffering. In this article on roundabout accident claims, we’ll look at when you could be entitled to be compensated and explain how the claims process works.

claimsaction.co.uk has a team of specialists who can help if you do decide to seek damages for your injuries. We’ll start by reviewing your roundabout accident claim for free during a telephone consultation. Then we’ll supply free legal advice about your chances of being awarded compensation. If your claim is suitable, we’ll ask one of our personal injury lawyers to step in. If they agree to represent you, they’ll reduce your stress levels and financial risks by working on a No Win, No Fee basis. That means you won’t be asked to pay for their work in advance.

If you’d like to begin a roundabout accident claim straight away, call us on 0800 652 1345to get started. Alternatively, to learn more about when compensation might be paid following a collision on a roundabout, please read on.

Can I claim compensation for an accident on a roundabout?

Our team of solicitors are specialists in all types of road accident claims. As such, they’ll only take on your case if they believe there’s a reasonable chance that you’ll be compensated. When assessing roundabout accident claims, they will try to ascertain whether:

• You were owed a duty of care by the other driver involved in the accident; and
• Their negligence caused an accident at or on a roundabout; and
• You sustained personal injuries as a result of the accident.

It’s usually quite easy to prove that a duty of care existed for collisions on roundabouts and at mini-roundabouts because of the Road Traffic Act 1988. It states that all road users must take reasonable precautions to try and reduce accidents and injuries on the road. Essentially, this means motorists must pay attention when driving and abide by the rules of the Highway Code.

As such, an important main task you can help with is to try and prove who was responsible for the roundabout accident, how it occurred and the extent of your injuries. We’ll explain what proof might help with this later on.

Collisions on roundabouts that could entitle you to compensation

It is possible for many types of accidents to lead to collisions on roundabouts and personal injury claims. We won’t provide details of them all here but some common examples include:

• Where a collision occurs because a vehicle enters the roundabout too fast and without checking for other vehicles.
• If a motorcyclist is injured from being rear-ended while at the roundabout because a driver failed to pay attention.
• Where a vehicle sideswipes another vehicle when changing lanes on the roundabout when there wasn’t space to do so.
• Where a car collides with a motorbike, scooter or moped while carelessly trying to enter the correct lane.
• If a pedestrian is injured from being struck by a car while on a pelican crossing at the roundabout junction.
• Where a lorry cuts across lanes to exit the roundabout to the left from a right-only lane and causes a collision.

It’s important to note that drivers, passengers, cyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians and all other road users could be entitled to compensation for injuries sustained in a roundabout accident if the accident was caused by another road user’s negligence.

Common injuries from accidents at roundabouts

In this section, we’ve listed some of the most common injuries that could result in a roundabout accident claim. Don’t worry if you don’t see your injury on our list, this is just a sample and we could still support your claim. Some of the most common injuries from accidents at roundabouts include:

• Scrapes and bruises.
• Head injuries such as concussions.
• Joint sprains or strains.
• Broken bones.
• Back, shoulder and neck injuries including whiplash.
• Serious finger injuries.

Importantly, since 31 May 2021, the government has introduced reforms to try and stem the number of fraudulent whiplash claims. As such, if you sustain whiplash whilst in a vehicle and the value of the claim is less than £5,000, you will need to claim through an online portal.

Having said that, it’s still worth calling our phone number for a free case review to try and ascertain how much your claim might be worth. If it’s a low-value claim, we’ll point you toward the portal. If we believe the value of the claim exceeds the threshold, we could appoint a solicitor to help. Importantly, the portal is not for pedestrians, cyclists or other vulnerable road users injured in an RTA.

How much compensation for an accident on a roundabout?

There is no set amount of compensation awarded for roundabout accident claims. Instead, you can claim general damages to compensate you for your injuries and special damages to cover any costs or expenses you’ve incurred. If you’re not sure of what these two types of damages cover, you can find out more here.

If you proceed with a claim, it could cover:

• The pain and suffering your injuries have caused.
• Any psychological injuries the roundabout accident has caused. For example, you could claim if you’re now too anxious to drive or won’t drive via the accident scene.
• Any impact on your hobbies or social life (loss of amenity).
• The earnings you’ve lost if your injuries stopped you from working for a while.
• The cost of replacing items that were damaged during the accident.
• Any medical expenses. This could include the cost of private medical treatment where needed.
• Care costs to cover the time a family member or friend spent looking after you while you were injured.
• Any fuel costs, parking fees or transport fares linked to your injuries.
• The costs involved with making changes to your home to improve your quality of life if you’re left disabled.
• Future loss of earnings if your injuries will negatively affect your ability to work.

As you can see, there’s quite a lot to consider when making a roundabout accident compensation claim. If you work with one of our personal injury lawyers, they’ll review your case in fine detail to try and ensure you’re paid the right amount of compensation for your injuries.

Providing proof for a roundabout accident claim

In most cases, you’ll claim for any injuries caused by the roundabout accident against the other driver’s insurance policy. Their insurer will only agree to pay if you’ve got enough evidence to prove who was liable for both the accident and your injuries. For this reason, you could use the following to help:

• Photographic proof. If it’s safe to do so, it’s a good idea to try and take pictures at the accident spot before anything is removed from the scene.
• Dashcam footage. This is a good way of proving what happened and who was responsible for the accident. If your car is fitted with a camera, make sure you download the footage. Also, check whether any other vehicle that stopped has a camera as well.
• Medical reports. Getting treatment for your injuries is important. It should mean they are diagnosed and treated properly. If you decide to claim compensation, your medical records could be requested to help prove what injuries you sustained.
• Witness details. You don’t need to ask for a statement but it is a good idea to take down the contact details of any witnesses. If needed, your solicitor might get in touch later on for a statement of what they saw.
• Police reports. In more serious roundabout collisions, the emergency services might attend and a police investigation might be conducted. Any report of this nature could help to prove how the accident happened.

As part of our free initial consultation, any proof you’ve already collected will be reviewed for free. Before calling, it might also be worth writing down what you remember about the accident and how your injuries have affected you. Furthermore, you could list any costs or expenses you’ve incurred as a result of your injuries.

Steps to take following a roundabout/mini-roundabout accident

Here are some steps you should take, and some you shouldn’t, following an accident at a roundabout or mini-roundabout:

Do:

• Get the other driver’s name, contact number and insurance details.
• Write down details about the other vehicle (registration plate, make, model and colour).
• Report the accident to the police if anybody is seriously injured.

Do not:

• Accept responsibility for the accident or say anything that could be interpreted as an admission of guilt.
• Stop collecting evidence even if the other driver admits they were responsible. They could change their mind or deny responsibility based on their insurer’s advice so evidence could still be needed.
• Accept any offer of on the spot compensation. It may not cover the cost of the damage to your vehicle let alone the impact your injuries may have on you in the future.

If you need advice on whether you’ve got a chance of being compensated following a roundabout accident, please get in touch. We’ll review your case for free and let you know your options.

Roundabout accident claims time limits

You might already know that you need to begin any RTA claim within the relevant time limit. In most roundabout claims, this will be a 3-year period starting from the date of the accident. However, if the claim is being made on behalf of a child, the limitation period does not apply and you can take action any time before they turn 18-years old.

Our advice is that you should always try to claim as soon as possible. This will allow plenty of time for medical reports and other proof to be gathered to support the claim. Furthermore, if the defendant accepts liability, your solicitor might ask the defendant to make an interim payment before the claim is finalised to cover the cost of private medical treatment if it will help you to recover sooner.

No Win, No Fee accident claims

Is the potential cost of hiring a personal injury solicitor stopping you from taking action? If so, you needn’t be too concerned. That’s because our team of solicitors offer a No Win, No Fee service for any roundabout accident claim they take on. As a result, you can rest easy during the claims process because you’ll know that you won’t pay your solicitor a penny unless you’re compensated.

At the start of your claim, you’ll both sign a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This contract allows your solicitor to begin working on your case without being paid in advance for their work. It will set out what they’ll do for you and the conditions that need to be met before you need to pay them.

If your claim is won, a success fee will be deducted from your settlement amount. This is used to cover your solicitor’s costs and time. So that you’re aware of the fee from the start, it is listed clearly in your contract. Legally, success fees are capped at 25% of any compensation when a case is funded by a CFA.

To check if you could use one of our No Win, No Fee solicitors in your case, please call today.

Start a roundabout accident claim today

We hope we’ve explained when you might be compensated following a roundabout accident. If you are ready to take action today and would like our help, please feel free to call us on 0800 652 1345.

Any claim that is accepted will be managed by one of our solicitors and they’ll work on a No Win, No Fee basis to reduce your stress levels during the claims process.

If you have any additional questions about roundabout accident claims, please call or use live chat to contact us.