Hit & Run Claims
No Win No Fee Hit & Run Claims Claims
Can I make a Hit & Run claim?
Yes! You can submit a claim to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), which is a company, set up and funded by UK motor insurers and the Government to compensate victims of road accidents caused by negligent, untraced drivers where the victims have no other source of compensation.
What are the conditions and time limits?
Relating to claims submitted to the MIB under the Untraced Driver's Agreement (2003.)These apply to accidents, which occurred on or after 14 February 2003:
- You must make your claim for personal injury to the MIB within 3 years of the date of the accident and, in the case of associated property damage claims, within 9 months of the accident date
- You must have reported the accident to the police within 14 days of it happening (or as soon as reasonably possible) in the case of personal injury claims or within 5 days for vehicle or property damage claims. Keep a note of the crime reference number provided as you will need this as evidence the matter has been reported to the police.
- The untraced driver must also be considered fully or at least partly at fault
- Usually there must be a formal medical record of your injuries resulting from the accident which must have been obtained by seeing your GP or attending hospital
What if my property is damaged?
The MIB will also consider claims for property damage such as vehicle damage where the property or vehicle is not insured elsewhere for accidental damage (e.g. comprehensive motor insurance or mobile phone insurance). They will also consider a claim for vehicle hire charges and compensation for the loss of use of your vehicle whilst it is off the road. Claims for property damage must be submitted within 9 months of the accident and are subject to a £300 excess which means the MIB will only pay compensation to you if your property or vehicle damage claim is valued above £300. The MIB is only liable for up to £1,000,000 per property damage claim under the Road Traffic Act 1988. **Please note that the MIB will not consider property or vehicle damage claims unless there is an associated personal injury claim.
What will I pay?
If we can help you make a personal injury claim due to a hit and run accident by an unknown driver we will offer to act for you on a no win no fee basis, which means that if you lose your claim you will pay us nothing. However, if you win we charge a fixed fee of 25% of the total compensation awarded by the MIB which includes VAT on our fees and any disbursements incurred e.g. expenses for obtaining a medical report or a police report. The reason for this is due to the fact that there is no known person or insurer to claim against and the amount which can be recovered from the MIB towards your legal charges is limited and fixed under their scheme rules. If you win, after payment of our charges you are guaranteed to receive 75% of the compensation which you are awarded. For example, if you were awarded £6,000 for your injuries, our legal charges would be £1,500 (25% of £6,000) and you would therefore receive £4,500. Nothing to pay if you lose!
