For crashes occuring prior to 15 November 2005, notice of a dependency claim must be given within one (1) year of date of death, as per the Fatal Accidents Act 1959. If the dependency claim is not settled within one (1) year of the date of death, court proceedings must be commenced.
For crashes occuring on or after 15 November 2005, notice of a dependency claim must be given within three (3) years of date of death, as per the Fatal Accidents Act 1959. If the dependency claim is not settled within three (3) years of the date, court proceedings must be commenced.
We will investigate the crash. This may involve an investigator and we normally have to wait until the Coroner's report is available. When we have all the information about the crash we can then decide if a driver was at fault for causing the death. We will then request details of the claim, eg who was dependent on the person, what their income was, and the type of services they provided to their dependents.