Fatal Accidents Act 1976


The Fatal Accidents Act 1976 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that allows relatives of people killed by the wrongdoing of others to recover damages.

Background

The Fatal Accidents Act 1846 had allowed claims for damages by the relatives of deceased persons for the first time. The 1976 Act modernised the process and repealed earlier legislation.

The Act

The Act allows claims as stipulated in s. 1:
The Act allows claims under three heads:
An award must take account of any social security benefits received.