Last updated 28th April 2026. If your child got hit by a car, this is likely to have not only caused your child extreme pain and trauma, it will have also caused you significant stress and worry for your child’s health. Their accident may have also caused a lot of financial stress, as you have had to pay additional medical expenses for the cost of medication plus needed time off work to care for them. This can leave you wondering ‘can I sue if my child was hit by a car?’. Where a driver has been negligent on the roads by driving recklessly and not adhering to speed limits, you can claim compensation for your child’s suffering and the financial losses that you have experienced to help them. This will involve you gathering evidence, such as the contact details of anyone who witnessed your child’s accident and seeking legal support.
At Public Interest Lawyers, our solicitors are experts in handling road traffic accident claims, and their guidance can help to significantly reduce the stress of bringing a claim if your child got hit by a car. They will provide clear advice on what evidence to gather, as well as offering their services on a No Win No Fee basis so financial worry is minimised. Get in touch with one of our advisors, who are available 24/7, to ask any initial questions before being connected with a solicitor.
Browse Our Guide
- Can You Claim Compensation If Your Child Got Hit By A Car?
- Can You Claim Compensation If The Driver Is Uninsured Or Untraced?
- How Much Compensation If Your Child Is Hit By A Car?
- How To Bring A Claim On Behalf Of A Child Hit By A Car
- How Can Public Interest Lawyers Help Me After My Child Was Hit By A Car?
- If I Claim For My Child After Being Hit By A Car, Can I Still Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Read More About Claims For Personal Injuries
Can You Claim Compensation If Your Child Got Hit By A Car?
If your child has been hit by a car, they could have grounds to be awarded compensation for pain and suffering caused to them. In order to make a personal injury claim you will need to ensure that the circumstances of the incident meet the eligibility criteria.
Every road user has a duty of care to use the roads safely and responsibly to prevent causing harm to one another. Additionally, they must also ensure that they comply with The Road Traffic Act 1988 and the rules within the Highway Code.
Rule 204 of the Highway Code sets out drivers’ duty to pay particular attention to children when driving as they are considered one of the most at risk road users. Drivers should be aware of the possibility of children crossing the road and drive carefully in areas close to schools.
To be able to make a personal injury claim on behalf of your child, you will need to prove that their case meets the following eligibility requirements:
- Your child was owed a duty of care.
- A road user breached this duty of care. For example, by not paying attention to the road while driving.
- Your child suffered an injury due to this breach.
What Is A Litigation Friend?
Usually, the time limit for beginning a personal injury claim is three years from the date the accident occurred, as set out in the Limitation Act 1980.
However, those under the age of 18 are not legally able to claim compensation on their own behalf until they become 18. If your child was injured you may wish to claim on their behalf. In order to do so, you will need to act as a litigation friend.
A litigation friend is an adult who acts in the best interest of the claimant. For example, this may be a solicitor, guardian or parent. The court can either appoint you as a litigation friend or you can apply to be one.
If a litigation friend does not make a claim on their behalf, the child will have three years to start their own claim from their 18th birthday.
To see whether you may be eligible to make a child accident claim as a litigation friend, or to ask any questions regarding the road traffic accident claims process, you can contact our advisors.
Can You Claim Compensation If The Driver Is Uninsured Or Untraced?
Road users are required by law to have appropriate insurance in place for their vehicles and to stop at the scene of an accident if it caused any damage or injury.
However if your child got hit by a car and they failed to stop at the scene of the accident, you could still make a claim for this hit and run accident on your child’s behalf through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB).
The MIB can award compensation to those who have been affected by untraceable and uninsured drivers. They also work with the police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to tackle and reduce the amount of uninsured drivers on the roads.
Contact our team to learn more about how to claim against uninsured or untraced drivers if you child was involved in a hit and run accident.
How Much Compensation If Your Child Is Hit By A Car?
If you do make a successful claim for your child’s injuries they will be awarded compensation under the head of loss known as general damages. Compensation under this heading is awarded for the pain and suffering the child’s injuries have caused them to experience.
Those calculating your child’s claim for general can refer to any medical evidence provided as well as the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). Within this document are a range of compensation guidelines for different injuries.
In the table below we have used some of these figures, aside from the first entry. Please only use this table as a guide.
| Injury | Severity | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple severe injuries plus financial losses | Severe - multiple injuries with substantial financial losses, such as loss of earnings, therapy costs and medical expenses | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Brain Injury | Moderately Severe - child is very seriously disabled and there is a need for constant professional care. | £289,420 - £372,570 |
| Moderate (i) - Moderate to severe intellectual deficit and an effect on senses | £198,320 - £289,420 | |
| Neck Injuries | Severe (i) - little or no movement in the neck and suffers severe headaches | In the region of £195,970 |
| Moderate (i) - dislocations or fractures causing severe immediate symptoms | £33,020 - £50,850 | |
| Arm Injuries | Severe (a) - leave the injured person little better off than if the arm had been lost | £127,050 - £172,970 |
| Foot Injuries | Severe - Fractures of both heels or feet with substantial reaction on mobility. | £55,450 - £92,520 |
| Leg Injuries | Severe (iii) - serious injuries to joints or ligaments resulting in instability | £51,790 - £72,440 |
| Back Injuries | Moderate (ii) - disturbance of ligaments and muscles giving rise to backache | £16,520 - £36,680 |
| Shoulder Injuries | Moderate - Frozen shoulder with limitation of movement and discomfort | £10,420 - £16,870 |
Compensation For Financial Losses
Special damages may also be included in your compensation to cover any financial losses that you have experienced in association with your child’s injuries. The special damages that may be included in your compensation include:
- The travel expenses that you have paid to take your child to and from their medical appointments after their accident.
- Medical expenses, such as painkillers and equipment such as wheelchairs to help your child cope with their injuries
- Adjustments that you have had to make, such as getting a stairlift fitted or hoists to help get your child in and out of your car.
- Therapy costs to help your child to cope with the trauma of being hit by a car and the psychological damage that an injury with a cosmetic effect may have caused them.
- Loss of earnings from having to take time off work to look after your child whilst they’re recovering.
To ensure that you are awarded compensation that covers all of the special damages that you deserve, keep copies of receipts and invoices to prove that these payments were made.
If your child got hit by a car and you want to discuss the special damages that you may be entitled to in your compensation, get in touch with one of our friendly advisors today.
What Happens To Your Child’s Compensation If You Claim On Their Behalf?
If you successfully claim compensation on your child’s behalf, the amount they are awarded will be held in a Court Funds Office account until they are 18.
A few days prior to their 18th birthday they should receive communication that they will soon be able to access these funds. However, there is a possibility that money from this account could be withdrawn sooner for exceptional circumstances relating to the child’s injuries. For example, if they require emergency surgery that is not available for free elsewhere.
If your child got hit by a car, and you would like a free valuation of how much compensation they could potentially receive, you can contact our advisory team today.
How To Bring A Claim On Behalf Of A Child Hit By A Car
To bring a claim on behalf of a child hit by a car, you will need evidence that proves the fault of the driver who hit them. You will also need to ensure that you are making their claim on their behalf within the legal limitation period. Examples of evidence and details on the legal time limit can be found below.
What Evidence Will I Need To Claim Compensation On Behalf Of My Child?
To claim compensation on behalf of your child, you will need evidence to prove the negligent actions of the driver who hit them. This will involve collecting items and information, such as the contact details of other road users who witnessed your child get hit by the third party and can testify that they were using their mobile phone or going above speed limits. Other useful evidence includes dashcam footage from other drivers or CCTV footage that shows the driver not adhering to rules in The Highway Code. Reports made to the driver’s insurance company and a note of their registration plate will also be useful.
More examples of evidence needed for a personal injury claim can be found in our dedicated guide.
How Long After My Child Was Hit By A Car Can I Bring A Claim?
After your child was hit by a car, you will have up to their 18th birthday to bring their claim on their behalf. Should this date pass without a claim being made for them, they will have 3 years from the date of their 18th birthday to start the process. You can find out more about what is the limitation period in our dedicated guide.
To find out what else you may need to bring a claim if your child got hit by a car, contact an advisor on our team today.
How Can Public Interest Lawyers Help Me After My Child Was Hit By A Car?
Here at Public Interest Lawyers, our solicitors can help you after your child was hit by a car by providing dedicated support to both you and your child so that they receive the maximum amount of compensation for the pain that they have suffered and you are reimbursed for your financial losses. The services that they offer to ensure this outcome include:
- Meeting both your and your child’s needs by conducting consultations where they feel comfortable, whether this is at home, as their injuries have lowered their mobility or on a video call.
- Organising medical assessments so that your child’s injuries are thoroughly checked and they receive compensation for each of them.
- Contacting witnesses, insurance companies and the police for reports and statements
- Handling any legal documents and court proceedings so that your main focus and priority can be helping your child in their recovery.
- Answering any of your or your child’s questions and explaining any complex legal terminology so that you understand what is happening during each step of the process.
These are just a few of the services that our solicitors can offer to help you after your child was hit by a car. If your child got hit by a car and you want to get in touch with one of our expert solicitors for support, contact us today.
If I Claim For My Child After Being Hit By A Car, Can I Still Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis?
Yes, you can still claim on a No Win No Fee basis with our solicitors if you are claiming for your child after being hit by a car. This will be under a Conditional Fee Agreement, a type of No Win No Fee arrangement which means that:
- You will not have to make any upfront payments for the services of your solicitor
- No ongoing payments will be made for the work of your solicitor during the process of making a claim on behalf of your child
- Unsuccessful claims do not pay service fees to their solicitor.
- Successful claims receive the majority of their compensation. This is because a small percentage, legally capped at 25% will be deducted from the compensation as a ‘success fee’. Therefore, you are guaranteed to receive at least 75% of the compensation.
Not having to make payments out of your own money before or during the claims process massively reduces the financial worry that you may have about making a claim.
To discuss entering a No Win No Fee arrangement with one of our solicitors if your child got hit by a car, get in touch today.
- Call us on 0800 073 8803
- Use the live chat pop-up on this page.
- Or contact us online.
Read More About Claims For Personal Injuries
Some additional guides by us about personal injury claims:
- In this guide we look at when you could claim for nerve damage after a car accident.
- This guide looks at what you could do after a car accident that wasn’t your fault and how to claim compensation.
- Finally in this guide we look at when an interim payment could be awarded in personal injury claims.
Further external resources:
- Find road safety statistics from the Department of Transport in this resource.
- This NHS guide on broken bones looks at how to tell if you or someone else has broken a bone.
- Find out what you can do if your child has an accident in this NHS resource.
We hope our guide has helped you to understand what steps you can take if your child got hit by a car. Contact our friendly team today to see whether you may be able to make a claim on their behalf.