Who Pays Criminal Injuries Compensation?
By Jo Greenwood. Last Updated March 2024. If you’ve suffered an injury which happened during the act of a crime against you, such as a robbery or assault, or if you’ve suffered an injury trying to stop a crime, then you could be entitled to compensation. However, a question that often arises is if the criminal flees, who pays criminal injuries compensation?
The short answer is the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), a government-funded agency.
However, claims made through the CICA aren’t straightforward. There are certain qualifying criteria that must be met, evidence needs to be provided, and the process can be tricky.
That’s where we can help you. We specialise in CICA claims and have helped scores of clients get the compensation they deserve.
You can reach out to us now to get some free advice or you can take advantage of our free case check. You can speak with us now by:
- Calling 0800 073 8804
- Contacting us by filling in our claim online form
- Or speak with us now by using our live chat service
To learn more about criminal injuries compensation, please read on.
Select A Section
- Can I Make A Criminal Injury Compensation Claim?
- Who Pays Criminal Injuries Compensation?
- What Can CICA Payouts Include?
- Examples Of CICA Payouts
- Can I Claim Criminal Injuries Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Get Free Advice Or Make A Claim Today
- More Resources On Who Pays Criminal Injuries Compensation
Can I Make A Criminal Injury Compensation Claim?
If you have been involved in a crime of violence, you may be eligible to make a criminal injury claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The CICA awards compensation to those who have suffered criminal injuries.
However, to be able to make a criminal injury compensation claim through the CICA, you must meet the following criteria:
- You must have been injured in a crime of violence. Some examples that the CICA Scheme class as a crime of violence include assault, arson and sexual assault.
- The incident must have taken place in England, Scotland, Wales or another relevant place, such as a ship registered to one of these countries.
- You must have reported the incident to the police.
- You must adhere to the relevant time limits. Generally, you will have 2 years to start your claim from the date you reported the incident to the police. However, certain exceptions could be made.
To learn more about the exceptions to this 2-year time limit or to discuss your potential claim, you can contact our advisors.
Who Pays Criminal Injuries Compensation?
As we have mentioned in the previous section, you could make a criminal injury claim through the CICA. The CICA is an executive agency sponsored by the Ministry of Justice who pays criminal injuries compensation to those who have been injured in a crime of violence in Great Britain.
If you have a valid claim, your injuries will be valued in line with the tariff of injuries that is set out in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012. Later in this guide, we will provide some examples of the amounts listed in this tariff.
When making a CICA claim for your criminal injuries, there are various factors that could affect your eligibility or whether your award should be reduced. These include:
- Your character, including whether you have any previous unspent criminal convictions.
- Whether you have cooperated with the police and their attempts to find and prosecute the assailant.
- Whether you’ve attempted to claim through another channel first.
- If you’ve claimed benefits relating to your injuries or received compensation through another source.
To learn more about making a criminal injury claim through the CICA, you can contact our advisors.
What Can CICA Payouts Include?
If you make a successful claim for criminal injuries compensation through the CICA, you will receive compensation for the injuries you have suffered. As previously stated, your injuries will be valued in line with the tariff of injuries set out in the CICA Scheme. If your claim is successful, you will receive the amount listed that relates to your injury.
CICA payouts could also include special expenses. Under special expenses, you could receive:
- Equipment needed to cope with your injuries, such as specially adapted kitchen equipment.
- Adaptations to your home, such as installing a ramp.
- Any equipment that was damaged in the incident that you relied on as a physical aid, such as your hearing aids.
- Care costs that relate to food preparation or your bodily functions.
All of these costs must have been necessary, reasonable, and directly resulting from your injury. They also cannot be available for free elsewhere.
You may also be eligible to make a claim for a loss of earnings. However, you must meet specific criteria to do so.
Contact our advisors today to discuss your criminal injury claim and to see if you could be eligible to claim for a loss of earnings.
Examples Of CICA Payouts
One thing you probably want to know is how much compensation you are going to receive. Your solicitor will not be able to give you an exact figure. However, they will be able to give you a good indication of how much you could end up receiving. The level of compensation depends on two things.
Firstly, you are compensated for your injuries, and this is based on the severity of them and the impact it is having on your life. Secondly, you will be compensated for any out-of-pocket expenses you have suffered because of your injuries. In the table below, you can get a good indication regarding the average payout for some of the most common criminal injuries.
| Injury Description | Description | Standard Compensation Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Loss of Thumb | Amputation of one thumb. | £16,500 |
| Amputation of Great Toe | Complete loss of one great toe. | £6,200 |
| Back Injury – Ruptured Invertebral Disc(s) | Surgical removal required. | £11,000 |
| Femur Fracture – One Leg | With Continuing Significant Disability | £4,600 |
| Foot – Fractured Metatarsal Bones In One Foot | With Continuing Significant Disability | £1,800 |
| Neck Scarring | Significant Disfigurement | £1,500 |
| Elbow Fracture – One Elbow | With Continuing Significant Disability | £6,200 |
| Elbow Fracture – Both Elbows | With Continuing Significant Disability | £11,000 |
| Torso Scarring | Significant Disfigurement | £1,000 |
| Torso Scarring | Serious Disfigurement | £3,500 |
If the injury you have sustained is not featured in the table above, you do not need to fret – you can still make a personal injury claim. You simply need to give us a call and we will elaborate further on the sort of payout you may receive.
Can I Claim Criminal Injuries Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
If you have been involved in an accident that was not your fault and you are thinking about making a claim, you may be a little bit worried about how you are going to fund it. Solicitors are notorious for charging very high fees, and you may not want to invest enormous sums of money in such a service when there is no guarantee that you are going to receive a payout at the end of it. This is an understandable view, but the good news is that there is a way around this.
The best way to combat the issue that has been mentioned is to look for a personal injury solicitor that is happy to work to a No Win No Fee payment agreement. By doing this, you are not required to front a big sum of money in order to prompt the professional to start putting your case together. This is not the only benefit. A No Win No Fee service means that you only need to pay legal fees if your case is a success. Therefore, if the solicitor in question does not manage to secure compensation for you, you don’t have to worry about paying for the legal expenses out of your own pocket. This is extremely important, as it reduces risk by a huge degree and gives you that much-needed peace of mind.
Here at Legal Expert, we can potentially provide No Win No Fee solicitors to support criminal injury claims. Therefore, you can be confident that we have the best solution for you. You know that our solicitors are going to be working hard to secure compensation for you, as they are impacted by the outcome of the case. Not only this, but you can rest assured that we will be honest with you throughout as well. If we do not think your case is strong enough, we will tell you that your chances of securing compensation are slim, and that it’s not worth the hassle.
Get Free Advice Or Make A Claim Today
You can reach out to us now to get some free advice or you can take advantage of our free case check. You can speak with us now by:
- Calling 0800 073 8804
- Contacting us by filling in our claim online form
- Or speak with us now by using our live chat service
More Resources On Who Pays Criminal Injuries Compensation
If you’re in need of any further information, you can always give us a ring, but if you’d prefer to do a little reading first, these pages may be interesting to you.
Criminal Injury – Making Claims – check out our detailed guide on criminal injury claims and making a claim through the CICA.
CICA Criminal Injury Compensation Claims – Another of our guides on compensation claims for criminal injuries. You can also find out calculator tool
If you have any more questions on who pays criminal injuries compensation, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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