Call to combat "postcode lottery" for the bereaved
Personal injury lawyers have called for fairer treatment for the bereaved, after research uncovered a “postcode lottery” for damages.
Four out of five people thought the Scottish system was better than that south of the border, according to a survey commissioned by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).
In England and Wales, where a death is caused by negligence, bereaved relatives receive a fixed sum of £12,980, paid by the negligent party. In Scotland, cases are taken on their merits, damages are generally higher, and the law is more flexible about who can receive them.
Matthew Stockwell, president of APIL, says: “It is particularly distasteful to me that parents of a child under the age of 18 should be entitled to bereavement damages but, once the child is 18, they are not.”
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