The CICA (Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority) is responsible for claims involving serious violent crimes. Victims of such crimes can claim for compensation, if taken place in England, Scotland or Wales.
Claim criteria
It is important that the criminal offender and consequences of the offence are solely responsible for the injuries held for compensation, and not due to any other external causes or factors. Physical or mental injury must be provided with clear proof of the nature and origin of the injury, this should be highlighted via medical documentation that treatment was received. Moreover, it is a requirement that the damages acquired are severe enough to be eligible for minimum compensation. A further essential criterion involves the claim being made within 24 months from the day of injury. A common occurrence is the misunderstanding that CICA is responsible for compensating injuries on British citizens taken place outside of England, Wales or Scotland. Only injuries held within these three regions are eligible for claim.
Depending on the situation, even if the requirements above are not met an injury claim can still be made. Family members or legal carers of victims who have died as a consequence of criminal injury can be eligible to compensation. This can be further discussed when calling our dedicated team of solicitors at Michael and Sherms.
How to Make a Criminal Injury Compensation Claim
A significant proportion of victims subjected to injury fail to claim compensation and consequently endure unnecessary pain and financial difficulty. At Michael and Sherms we understand that a main reason for this is because of the person over-coming post-traumatic stress from the incident, and claiming for compensation is not the most essential and initial factor which comes to mind. Rather at Michael and Sherms our top concern is ensuring our client is recovering safely whilst we deal with the legal responsibilities. Our team of top qualified solicitors are highly qualified in ensuring this is carried out smoothly and efficiently.