If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, whether as a driver, passenger or pedestrian, you may claim for compensation against the Road Accident Fund (“RAF”). Any person involved in a motor vehicle accident can claim compensation from the RAF, except the driver of a vehicle whose negligence was the sole cause of the accident.
The RAF is a statutory insured organisation created by Government to pay compensation to victims of a road accident. The RAF steps into the shoes, and assumes the liability, of the driver who caused the accident.
The RAF is funded by a levy on petrol and diesel.
After an accident you can claim against the RAF if you were injured or a member of your family was killed:
- while being conveyed as a passenger in a car, bus, truck or on a motorcycle or bicycle;
- while riding a bicycle which collided with a motor vehicle and the accident was not your fault;
- while driving a motor vehicle or riding a motorcycle and the accident was not your fault;
- if your breadwinner passes away as a result of an accident which was not his/her fault.
Claims can be made for the following:
- Past and Future medical expenses
- Past and Future loss of support
- Past and Future loss of income
- Pain and suffering
- Funeral expenses