By Marlon Marquardt. Last Updated 16th December 2022. In this guide, we will look at the process of claiming for injuries sustained in a taxi accident. If you’ve been injured in a car accident that was caused by the negligence of someone else, you may be able to claim compensation. You can claim if you were a passenger in the taxi (whether it was at fault or not) or if a taxi driver’s negligence caused an accident with your vehicle in which you were injured.
Taxi accident claims guide
There is a range of different injuries you could sustain in an accident involving a taxi. Some of these can be relatively minor, like soft tissue injuries, sprains and strains. But some injuries can be more severe and potentially life-changing. In some circumstances, taxi accidents can be fatal.
If you get in touch with our advisors, they can offer free legal advice specific to your claim. What’s more, there’s no obligation for you to proceed just from speaking with a member of our team. They could even connect you with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel if they think your case has a good chance of success.
Read on for more information, or alternatively, get in touch with us at any time. You could potentially start your personal injury claim today.
- Call us on 0800 408 7825
- Use our online contact form
- Use the live chat feature on this page for instant answers
Select A Section
- Common Taxi Accidents
- Taxi Accidents – Example Injuries
- Uber And Ride Hailing App Accident Claims
- Can I Claim Compensation If I Was Not Wearing A Seatbelt?
- Key Taxi Accident Statistics
- Taxi Accident Compensation Payouts For 2022
- Claim Today With A No Win No Fee Taxi Accident Lawyer
- Find Out More About Vehicle Accident Claims
Common Taxi Accidents
A taxi accident refers to any accident that involves a taxi. For example, a taxi and another vehicle could collide. Alternatively, you could be injured as a passenger by negligent actions on the part of the taxi driver.
Other road users can also be injured in taxi accidents. For example, you might be a pedestrian who is hit by a taxi driving negligently. Or you could be knocked off your bike as a cyclist by a taxi driver.
Taxi drivers owe the same duty of care to other road users as all motorists do. They should adhere to the standards of skill and care of the average motorist. Taxi drivers also owe this duty of care to passengers.
Some of the taxi accidents you could be involved in include:
- A rear-shunt accident. This is where another car fails to maintain a sufficient stopping distance and hits the back of another vehicle. Alternatively, you could be a passenger in a taxi that hit the back of another car.
- A side-impact accident. This could occur if one car pulls out of a side road without checking that it’s safe to do so. This could cause them to collide with the side of a vehicle travelling down the main road.
- Head-on collision. This could occur if one driver is travelling down the wrong side of the road or overtakes a cyclist too close to a junction.
- Accident while merging. If one driver tries to change lanes without indicating, this could cause an accident.
These are not the only kinds of accidents you could be involved in whilst a passenger in a taxi, or with a taxi as the at-fault third-party driver. Speak to one of our advisors today to see if you could be eligible to claim.
Taxi Accidents – Example Injuries
Car accidents can lead to a wide range of injuries. For example, taxi accidents could result in:
- Head injuries
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Leg injuries
- Brain injuries
- Psychological trauma
If you have suffered from these or other such injuries because of a breach of duty of care, then you could be able to claim compensation against them. A taxi passenger in an accident could claim against the faulting party; this could be the taxi driver or another motorist if they caused the accident.
If you have been injured in a taxi accident, please reach out to one of our advisers to learn more about taxi accident claims and whether you could be eligible for compensation.
Whiplash Reform Programme
If you are a driver or passenger over 18, and your injury is valued at £5,000 or less, your claim would now have to be dealt with through an online portal. This is because of the introduction of the Whiplash Reform Program.
However, you can still work with a solicitor if making a claim through this portal. What’s more, you could assume that your injuries are worth less than they actually are. For this reason, we recommend getting in touch with one of our advisors for a free, no-obligation assessment of your claim.
Uber And Ride Hailing App Accident Claims
Many private taxi companies provide an app for easy access to all their services. One of the better-known of these is rideshare company Uber.
When you use a rideshare app, you may have to agree to their Terms and Conditions. In some cases, these could stipulate that the company does not accept liability for any injuries sustained while travelling in one of their vehicles. Therefore, a potential claim for an injury sustained in an Uber accident may need to be made against the driver’s insurance directly.
If you’re in an accident whilst riding with Uber or a similar taxi company, we recommend you seek legal advice as soon as possible. A personal injury lawyer could help you collect evidence and build a successful case.
Can I Claim Compensation If I Was Not Wearing A Seatbelt?
In the UK, wearing a seatbelt is required by law. However, it is possible to make a claim if you were injured in a taxi accident, even if you weren’t wearing a seatbelt.
If you weren’t wearing a seatbelt, and your injuries were worse than they would have been if you had worn one, this is classed as contributory negligence. As the name suggests, this means that you’re deemed to have contributed to your injuries, despite the fact that they were caused by someone else’s negligence.
The amount you could still claim would depend on the circumstances of the accident and your injuries. In the Court of Appeal case Froom vs Butcher [1975], the Court offered the following suggestions in relation to compensation reductions in the case of contributory negligence caused by not wearing a seatbelt:
- A 25% reduction in compensation where your injuries could have been completely avoided if a seat belt had been worn.
- A 15% reduction in compensation if your injuries could have been less serious had a seatbelt been worn.
- No reduction in compensation if your injuries would not have been affected at all by wearing a seatbelt.
The amount of compensation you do receive will be based on your individual circumstances. For more information on how much compensation you could be entitled to, get in touch with a member of our team today.
Key Taxi Accident Statistics
The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) collects statistics on different vehicle types and reported road accidents every year. From these statistics, we can see that around a quarter of people (28%) travel by taxi at least once a month, and 9% travel by taxi at least once a week. These people could quite easily be involved in a taxi accident if the driver or another road user breaches their duty of care.
Further statistics from the DfT show 2,612 accidents involving taxis or private hire vehicles occurred in the UK in 2020. The chart below shows a breakdown of the severity of these accidents.
As you can see, though the majority of taxi accidents have been minor, a small amount have resulted in death. However, there is no information on whether these statistics relate to injuries sustained by drivers, passengers or both.
Get in touch with our advisors today for more information on what could make a valid claim. They could connect you with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel to represent you in your taxi accident claim.
Taxi Accident Compensation Payouts For 2022
The value of taxi accident claims can vary in value for a variety of reasons. The nature of the injury, the extent of the damage, and the length of your recovery period are all taken into account during the valuation process.
When legal professionals are calculating how much your claim could be worth, they will often turn to certain resources to assist them in arriving at an appropriate figure. Whilst they will look at the medical evidence you submit to support your claim, they will also turn to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).
This is a publication that was last updated in 2022. It’s comprised of a number of descriptions that relate to injuries and the potential value of them. The amount of compensation you receive that relates directly to your pain and suffering is known as a general damages payment.
| Injury | Severity | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back | Severe (iii) | £38,780 to £69,730 | This bracket could cover injuries such as disc fractures or lesions or soft tissue injuries that have led to chronic conditions. There may also be residual disabilities such as continuous pain and impaired agility. |
| Neck | Severe (i) | In the region of £148,330 | This bracket could cover injuries that have resulted in part paraplegia or little to no movement in the neck despite extensive treatment. There may also be severe headaches that are difficult to treat. |
| Shoulder | Serious | £12,770 to £19,200 | This bracket could cover injuries such as a dislocation that causes pain in the shoulder, neck and elbow with a related weakness of grip. |
| Teeth | (i) | £8,730 to £11,410 | This bracket could cover the loss or serious damage to several front teeth. |
| Brain | Very Severe | £282,010 to £403,990 | This bracket could cover brain damage that has resulted in a lack of independence or basic functionality and a need for full-time care. |
| Arm | Less Severe | £19,200 to £39,170 | This bracket could cover injuries that have resulted in significant disabilities but a substantial amount of recovery has occurred or is expected. |
| Nose | (i) | £10,640 to £23,130 | This bracket could cover multiple or serious fractures that require several opreations and result in nerve damage or permanent issues with the airways. |
| Clavicle | N/A | £5,150 to £12,240 | The compensation awarded will depend on factors like how bad the fracture is, how it's affected you and whether you will experience any residual symptoms. |
| Elbow | Less Severe | £15,650 to £32,010 | Where function is impaired but any disability is not significant. |
| Wrist | (a) | £47,620 to £59,860 | Where function in the wrist has been completely lost. |
As part of your claim, you will be invited to a medical appointment. In this appointment, an independent medical expert will assess your injuries. The report that is generated from this appointment will be used to value your claim.
You may also claim special damages as part of your compensation. This is designed to cover any financial losses you may have incurred as a result of your injuries. You could also potentially claim for future losses. Some examples of what you could claim for:
- Medical expenses not covered by the NHS
- Adjustments to the home if a disability necessitates it
- Travel expenses to and from hospital appointments
- Lost wages
You need to prove that your accident or injuries caused the financial loss to claim special damages. For example, you could provide payslips to show loss of earnings or receipts for travel.
Due to the number of circumstances that can affect the value of taxi accidents, your own claim will need to be assessed before an accurate valuation can be made. Get in touch with us today, and we can take you through the process. We are here 24/7 to assist you with your potential claim.
Claim Today With A No Win No Fee Taxi Accident Lawyer
If you’ve already suffered financially as a result of your accident, you may be concerned about funding a solicitor to work on your claim. A No Win No Fee agreement could benefit you if this is the case.
With a No Win No Fee solicitor, you are not required to pay them any upfront or ongoing fees. In fact, you don’t need to pay them for their work at all if your claim is unsuccessful.
However, if your claim does succeed, your solicitor will deduct a success fee from your compensation amount. They’ll establish the percentage that will be deducted before taking on your claim. The success fee is also legally capped to prevent overcharging.
To find out more about how a No Win No Fee agreement could benefit you or to start a claim, get in touch with our team of advisors. They could connect you with a solicitor from our panel who could help you start a personal injury claim today.
- Call us on 0800 408 7825
- Use our online contact form
- Use the live chat feature on this page for instant answers
Find Out More About Vehicle Accident Claims
We hope you have found this guide helpful. To find out more, please see further relevant links below.
Broken Foot Compensation Guide – A guide on how to claim compensation after a broken foot injury.
Accident In A Public Car Park Guide– This article explains how to claim if you’ve been involved in an accident in a car park.
Do I Need to Use Accident Solicitors Near Me? – A guide answering questions about if you need to use solicitors near you.
Health and Safety Executive – Britain’s regulator for health and safety in the workplace.
THINK!– The UK Government’s road safety campaign.
The Highway Code – The guidelines for safe behaviour on the roads.
Thank you for reading our guide on taxi accident claims.
Article by AO
Publisher ET