Anyone who has been in a road traffic accident involving an animal can claim for personal injury compensation if the accident was not their fault.  

 

MG Legal’s expert personal injury solicitors have won personal injury compensation for thousands of injured clients, many of whom have been involved in a road traffic accident with animals. In more rural areas, road traffic accidents involving horses, cows, and other animals are actually commonplace, with the British Horse Society reporting 845 incidents involving horses and motor vehicles, including cars and motorcycles, being reported to them in 2019. If you have been in a road traffic accident caused by an animal, you are not alone. There are approximately 74,000 accidents involving deer each year in the UK, with vehicle damage, including repair costs, and total loss value of motor vehicles, estimated at around £17 million. 

Our solicitors specialising in No Win No Fee road traffic accident claims are often faced with this question. And our response is usually the same- most animals are owned by somebody, and that person will usually have a policy of insurance in place, covering them against any damage to property or person, caused by their animal. 

 

If an animal such as a cow, sheep, pig or goat or donkey, or even smaller livestock animal such as chickens and hens, are the cause of your road traffic accident, it is the farmer or livestock owner’s responsibility to ensure their land is fenced, gated and secure, so that their animals cannot escape and stray on to roads and motorways, then any claim for personal injury, or vehicle damage, would be pursued against the farmer, or livestock owner if the land is not farmland. 

 

If it can be proven that a farmer, or landowner failed to maintain safe surroundings to keep their animals from escaping, they will be liable for any road traffic accidents that occur as a result. MG Legal’s team are expert solicitors dealing with road traffic accident compensation claims involving animals and horses.  

Bearing in mind the statistics given earlier, that deer caused an estimated £74 million of damage to property and vehicles, including cars and motorcycles, in 2019 alone, then it comes as no surprise that our No Win No Fee personal injury solicitors have a wealth of experience when handling personal injury claims involving deer and wild animals. The rules for pursuing claims for personal injury involving animals are simple, and all point to ownership. If the deer involved in the collision with your vehicle has escaped from an enclosure, such as a zoo, or venison farm, a claim for compensation is possible against the animal’s owner. If it transpires that the deer is wild, it may not be possible to demonstrate ownership of the animal, and therefore there may not be a liable party to pursue a claim against. Speak to one of MG Legal’s road traffic accident experts, and we will advise you if you have claim for compensation. 

Every award of damages for personal injury compensation depends on the injury sustained, the effects and restrictions on your everyday life, as well as the chances of you making a full recovery, and the prognosis, in months or years, of you doing so. MG Legal’s expert personal injury solicitors will take into account all of your personal circumstances, and make sure you are awarded the maximum compensation for your injuries, lost earnings, and damaged items. See a full overview of personal injury general and special damages, here. If you have been injured in a road traffic accident, give us a call, or email us, and we will discuss your claim for personal injury compensation, including how your claim is valued, in clear, no-nonsense terms.  

The Limitation Act 1980 states that, in most cases at least, an injured party has 3 years to make a claim for personal injury compensation. Minors, meaning children under the age of 18, have 3 years from the date of their 18th birthday. Time limits may differ if you are acting on behalf of someone with limited mental capacity, if you are acting as guardian or subject a lasting power of attorney. If you have any questions or queries, then please do not hesitate to contact one of MG Legal’s personal injury experts, here… 

If you have been injured in a road traffic accident with an animal, the first your personal injury solicitor must do, is to find out who owns the animal in question.  

 

We know that when road traffic accidents happen, we are often left shocked, surprised, and in a vehicle that simply will not move. But evidence gathering at this stage of your personal injury claim is key to the success of your claim.  

 

Make sure you can trace where the animal came from, and take the address and contact details of the farmer, landowner, or pet owner. Take photographs and video footage of the road traffic accident, including the location of the accident, and the position of your vehicle. If you know the details of the animal’s owner, note them down as they will be required to hand to your personal injury solicitor at MG Legal, enabling you to make a no win no fee personal injury compensation claim, arising out of your road traffic accident with an animal.