Can I claim if I witnessed a violent crime? | Criminal Injuries Compensation Skip to main content

Criminal injuries are not just of a physical nature, they can also be psychological.

Physical injury is more straight forward for example if you are beaten up, attacked, assaulted or mugged and have been injured as a result of the criminal conduct of another party you have a right to seek compensation.

Psychological injury though can be more difficult to define. If you witnessed a violent crime, for instance an armed robbery or someone being attacked, just because you weren’t physically injured doesn’t mean that’s the end of it. Because most of us are lucky enough not come into contact with violent behaviour, often when we do it has a deep psychological impact.

If you have been witness to an act of violence you could find that you keep reliving the attack over and over. This can lead to a feeling of being afraid and not wanting to go out into public. Fear and panic set in and you become unable to live your life as you did before witnessing the attack. If you can relate to this then you should contact a personal injury solicitor to find out if you could be entitled to claim compensation.

There are two basic requirements for a successful compensation claim, these are that the victim must be the innocent party caught up in a criminal act, and that this has led to them suffering physical or psychological injury.

Any compensation award will be determined by the type and extent of any injuries and any long lasting effects it has had on your life. This includes any effect on your ability to earn a living.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) handles these claims, they are a government funded body which pays compensation to victims of criminal acts and removes the need for the criminal party to be sued directly by the victim.

Our Criminal Injuries Compensation Calculator offers a guide as to how much compensation you could be entitled to claim based on the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority’s (CICA) tariffs.