Section 7 dependency claim

Section 7 of the Civil Law Act 1956 is the provision that lets certain family members claim compensation after a road accident caused a death, for the financial support they have lost.

A spouse, parent or child of the deceased can generally claim, and the claim covers loss of support and reasonable funeral expenses, but it must be brought within three years of the date of death, treated as an absolute deadline.^[1] The full explanation is in the dependency claim.

This is a separate claim from any claim the deceased’s own estate may bring for losses suffered before death.

The court also generally deducts the deceased’s own living expenses from the support figure. Because of the deadline, an independent lawyer can take on the claim early for the family.