I Was Hit By A Stolen Car - Who Pays My Compensation?

By Danielle Graves. Last Updated 12th January 2024. If you are hit by a stolen car who pays for the damage? In this guide, we are going to look at stolen car injury claims.

However, If you are hit by a stolen car, knowing who pays compensation is not as straightforward as you might expect. Read on to find out how the Motors Insurers Bureau (MIB) can help in cases such as these. But please bear in mind that just because a stolen car is involved does not automatically mean they are at fault.

Claims are all unique in some way. Yours might share some traits with other claims, but they won’t be identical.

Therefore, this guide might not answer all of your questions. In short, we simply can’t cover every possible combination of circumstances that could lead to a claim in one guide. However, if this guide does leave questions unaddressed, you can get the answers from our advisors. Just give them a call on 0161 696 9685.

Jump To A Section:

Who Is At Fault In Stolen Car Accidents?
What Are Stolen Vehicle Accidents?
How Do You Establish Liability For Stolen Vehicle Accidents?
Uninsured Driver Claims
Compensation Calculator For A Car Accident
I Was Hit By A Stolen Car – What Evidence Do I Need?
Stolen Car Accident No Win No Fee Claims
Helpful Resources

Who Is At Fault In Stolen Car Accidents?

If you are hit by a stolen car who pays for the damage if the driver didn’t cause the accident? It is possible, in some cases, to be hit by a stolen car, and the driver of the stolen car is not at fault. For example, if a third party caused the accident, and the stolen vehicle was simply one of the victims of the accident itself.

In cases such as this, the fact the driver had committed a criminal offence does not instantly make them liable. It will be the party that caused the actual accident that is at fault. In short, unless the driver of the stolen vehicle caused the accident, they will not be at fault. However, they may face separate criminal proceedings, outside of the claims case.

What Are Stolen Vehicle Accidents?

If you are hit by a stolen car who pays for the damage and harm you have suffered? To answer this question properly, we first need to define what a stolen vehicle accident is. A stolen vehicle accident can affect any road user. Such as the ones detailed below.

The driver of a car, lorry, van, or other vehicles.
A motorcycle rider or a cyclist.
A passenger in a private vehicle, or the pillion passenger of a motorcycle.
Passengers using public transport such as busses, coaches, taxis and minicabs.
Pedestrians on a public or private road.
Other road users such as horseback riders, for example.

However, to make a valid claim it must first be established who is at fault. Just because a stolen car is involved will not technically mean the driver of that car is liable. To be eligible to make a personal injury claim if involved in a stolen vehicle accident you must prove that you are not at fault.

However, the process is a little different to claiming for a car accident caused by a vehicle that was not stolen. We will cover this difference later in the guide.

Example Stolen Vehicle Accidents

Road traffic accidents can take many forms. Resulting in injuries from a minor case of whiplash to multiple fatalities. Below are some examples of road traffic accidents and injuries that could be caused by a stolen vehicle.

A stolen car pulls out of a side road in front of an oncoming vehicle. Despite the airbag deploying, the driver of the oncoming vehicle suffers a neck injury or a back injury.
A cyclist is forced off the road by a stolen van overtaking them. The cyclist falls into a ditch causing a soft tissue injury such as a shoulder injury.
A pedestrian crossing the road is hit by a speeding stolen car. They suffer a hand injury such as a break or a fracture.

How Do You Establish Liability For Stolen Vehicle Accidents?

In relation to proving liability, then you need to know that this is the same as any vehicular accident.

To prove liability, you need to show that another road user took negligent action that caused the accident. The fact that the liable third party was driving a stolen vehicle doesn’t change this. If the driver of the stolen vehicle caused the accident, then they are liable. If it was a different driver of another vehicle that caused the accident, then they would be liable.

However, to make personal injury claims in such a situation, you must prove liability. The onus will be on you to show fault. Our advisors can provide you with some advice on how to do this. Give them a call for more help with stolen car injury claims.

Uninsured Driver Claims

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) is an organisation that works to compensate people who have been harmed by uninsured and untraced drivers. All insurers are required to pay into the MIB; this funding can then be used to compensate people who have been harmed by such drivers.

If a vehicle is stolen, and the driver of the vehicle causes you harm due to negligent driving, you will be able to claim through the MIB as the driver will not be insured. You could claim for any injuries you have suffered as well as any financial harm caused.

If you would like to learn more about the process of claiming through the MIB or uninsured driver claims, then please reach out to one of our advisers.

Compensation Calculator For A Car Accident

If you make a successful personal injury claim for a road traffic accident, your compensation may consist of two parts. These are general and special damages.

General damages are part of your personal injury compensation that compensates you for the physical pain and emotional suffering that has been caused by the collision with the stolen vehicle in which you suffered an injury. Those responsible for assigning value to the injuries you sustained may refer to the compensation brackets found in the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) for guidance with calculating this part of your personal injury claim. This text lists guideline compensation figures for different types of physical and psychological injuries.

Additionally, if you suffered whiplash, your whiplash injury will be valued according to a set tariff found in the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021. These regulations brought in changes to the way whiplash injuries are valued.

In our table below, we look at a few figures from the JCG and a few examples of the whiplash tariffs. Please note that the top figure is not taken from the JCG, and that the other figures in the table are just guidelines.

Type of Injury?	How Severe?	Compensation	Information
Multiple Severe Injuries and Special Damages	Very Serious	Up to £1,000,000+	Settlements may include compensation for multiple severe injuries and special damages such as lost wages and medical expenses.
Brain Damage	Very Severe	£282,010 to £403,990	The injured party shows little evidence meaningful responses to their environment and need nursing full time.
Back Injuries	Severe (i)	£91,090 to £160,980	Injuries in this bracket involve spinal cord and nerve root damage and result in very serious consequences.
Injured leg	Very serious	£54,830 to £87,890	A permanent disability that requires a person to use crutches or mobility aids for the rest of his or her life. Multiple fractures that have taken years to heal, required extensive treatment, and resulted in deformity and limited movement, or where arthritis has developed in the joint, which may require more surgery.
Injured arm	Less severe	£19,200 to £39,170	There will have been significant disabilities, but there will also have been or will be substantial recovery.
Injured hand	Less serious	£14,450 to £29,000	An example of this would be a severe crush injury resulting in significantly impaired function despite undergoing surgery.
Injured foot	Moderate	£13,740 £24,990	For example, displaced metatarsal fractures resulting in permanent deformity and ongoing symptoms. It is possible to suffer from long-term osteoarthritis or require future surgery.
Whiplash Tariff	Whiplash and a minor psychological injury	£4,345	This tariff applies to claimants who suffer with whiplash alongside a minor psychological injury with symptoms lasting 18-24 months.
Whiplash Tariff	Whiplash without a psychological injury	£4,215	This tariff applies to claimants who suffer with whiplash symptoms for 18-24 months.

As mentioned above, your personal injury settlement may also include special damages. This part of your compensation aims to reimburse you for the financial loss caused by your injuries. For example, this heading could cover the cost of:

Loss of earnings for time spent off work to recover.

Medical expenses, including prescription and therapy costs.

Travel expenses to attend medical appointments.

Home adaptations if these are required, such as installing a wheelchair ramp.

Home help, including nursing or childcare assistance.

To claim special damages, you should submit proof of your losses, such as your bank statements or receipts.

A member of our advisory team can provide you with a free claim valuation and potentially connect you with a solicitor from our panel when you get in touch.

I Was Hit By A Stolen Car – What Evidence Do I Need?

If hit by a stolen car who pays for the damage? and what do I need to do to claim? Firstly, you are going to need to prepare for making a claim for an accident with a stolen car. There are some steps you can take here, and we have defined them below.

Collect the driver and vehicle details for everyone involved in the accident if you can.
Call the police to the site of the accident if they do not arrive on their own, and ask for the incident number.
Take photographs of the site and the cause of the accident if it is safe to do so.
Ask any witnesses to the accident for their contact details. So that they can be approached to give testimony if needed.
Be sure to get medical treatment, even if you believe your injuries are only minor. This will ensure an official record of your injuries exists.
Begin to keep a record of any financial losses that the accident has caused. Be sure to maintain bills, receipts, invoices, etc.
Call and talk to one of our claim advisors to learn how to start a claim.

Stolen Car Accident No Win No Fee Claims

If you are eligible to make a road traffic accident claim, you may wish to do so with the support of a solicitor. If so, one of the specialist road traffic accident solicitors from our panel could work on your case. Typically, the solicitors on our panel provide their services under the terms of a type of No Win No Fee arrangement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

When your solicitor works under this type of agreement, they typically won’t ask you to pay anything upfront for their services. Additionally, there won’t be any ongoing costs for the work they provide. Furthermore, they won’t expect payment for their services if you are not awarded compensation following an unsuccessful claim.

However, if the outcome of your claim is successful, your solicitor will take a success fee from your compensation. This amount is a percentage that is subject to a legal limit.

Speak with an advisor from our team to discuss who pays for damage caused by a stolen car in the UK. They can assess whether you have a valid case if you were injured by a stolen car. If it seems like you do, you could be connected to one of the solicitors from our panel.

To get in touch with an advisor:

Fill in the ‘contact us’ form for a call back.
Call 0161 696 9685
Connect using our live webchat.

Helpful Resources

Here are some other useful guides.

These links all have relevant info.

Written by MW

Edited by MM

Hit By A Stolen Car Compensation Claim Specialists

Advice On What To Do If Hit By A Stolen Car