The Steps To Claiming For Injuries To The Face After An Assault

This guide will discuss the process of claiming compensation for injuries to the face after an assault. We would like to note early on that you don’t have to know your assailant’s identity in order to make a criminal injury claim. Similarly, even if you know who they are, they don’t necessarily need to be convicted of the crime in order to receive compensation for your injuries.

injuries to the face after assault

Injuries to the face after an assault claims guide

There are three routes an individual could take to claim assault compensation. These include:

  • Claiming directly against the assailant. This method can be pursued if you know their identity and they have adequate financial assets.
  • Claiming against an organisation that was vicariously liable for the incident taking place. If a workplace requires a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check but does not perform it before hiring an individual, they may be vicariously liable if performing that check could have prevented another employee experiencing a violent act, such as sexual abuse at work.
  • Claiming via the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). This method is available where the other two routes are not possible. The CICA provides those who have been harmed in a violent crime in England, Scotland or Wales with a way to seek compensation.

For the purpose of this guide, we will be focusing primarily on making a claim via the CICA. We will discuss the compensation amounts you could receive, the evidence you may have to show, and the time limits that may apply to your circumstances. We will also discuss how working with a criminal injury solicitor could benefit you.

Keep reading if you would like to learn more. As an alternative, you can use the provided contact details to get in touch with our advisers. They can answer questions you may have about making a compensation claim for assault. You can reach them by:

  • Calling at 0800 073 8805
  • Filling out our ‘make a claim’ form to request more information
  • Speaking to an adviser using the live chat function below.

Choose A Section

  1. A Guide To Claiming For Injuries To The Face After An Assault
  2. When Can You Seek CICA Compensation?
  3. Evidence Needed In A Criminal Injuries Compensation Claim
  4. Injuries To The Face After An Assault – What Could You Receive?
  5. Why Make A No Win No Fee CICA Compensation Claim?
  6. Learn More About Claiming For Injuries To The Face After An Assault

A Guide To Claiming For Injuries To The Face After An Assault

An assault could take place during several criminal events such as a burglary or a mugging. There are different types of assault, including sexual assault or common assault. Additionally, assault can lead to many different injuries, but injuries to the face may be particularly distressing in terms of the physical and psychological pain they could cause. For example, you could suffer:

To learn more about when you could seek compensation for injuries to the face after an assault via the CICA, continue reading.

When Can You Seek CICA Compensation?

Many victims of violent crime can get compensation through the CICA. In order to begin this kind of claim, you must meet several eligibility requirements, such as:

  • Your injury must have resulted from a crime of violence, which can involve a physical attack, sexual assault or the threat of violence where there has been reasonable firmness for the person to be in fear.
  • You must have reported the crime to police as soon as possible following the incident. This is usually expected to be right after the incident, unless certain exceptional circumstances prevented you from doing so.
  • The incident must have occurred in England, Scotland, or Wales. It could also have occurred in certain ‘relevant locations,’ such as vessels registered to the previously mentioned countries.

To learn more about getting criminal injuries compensation from the CICA for injuries to the face after an assault, contact our team of advisers.

Is There A Time Limit For Claiming Via The CICA?

There is a time limit for claiming through the CICA. You must generally begin your claim within 2 years of reporting the incident to the police. This is something you’re usually expected to have done right away unless you can provide evidence of exceptional circumstances that prevented you from doing so.

Additionally, exceptions could be made to the two year time limit in place to start your claim. However, you must be able to provide evidence that exceptional circumstances prevented you from doing so in the relevant time frame.

The time limits also differ for those who were under the age of 18 when the incident occurred. If the incident was reported to the police, the person will have two years from the date of your 18th birthday to start your claim. If the incident was not reported to the police, the person will have two years from the date they reported it to the police. However, exceptions could apply.

To learn more about the time limits for making a claim via the CICA, get in touch with our team. They can also advise on how the time limits could differ for claims made directly against the perpetrator or vicariously liable third party.

Evidence Needed In A Criminal Injuries Compensation Claim

If you make your claim through the CICA, you may be asked to provide evidence such as:

  • Proof that you meet the residency requirements.
  • Medical evidence showing that you sustained an injury that can be compensated for by the CICA.
  • Information about any financial losses you’ve experienced.
  • Evidence that the incident was reported to the police.

If you use a different avenue to seek compensation for injuries to the face after an assault, you may need to provide different forms of evidence.

For more information, call our team. An advisor can provide further guidance on applying for criminal injuries compensation.

Injuries To The Face After An Assault – What Could You Receive?

The payout you could receive from a criminal injuries claim made via the CICA can be made up of a payment for your injury. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 sets out a fixed tariff for different injuries.

The Scheme only allows for compensation to be awarded for a maximum of three injuries. If you have more than one injury, it will be subject to the multiple injury formula. This means you will receive 100% of the full tariff value for the most serious injury, 30% for the injury that is the second most or equally as serious and 15% for the injury that is the third most or equally as serious.

You may be looking to use a criminal injury claim calculator to estimate how much your injuries could be worth. However, instead of a compensation calculator, we have produced a table demonstrating the tariff of injuries laid out in the Scheme 2012.

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If you have further questions about the compensation you could receive for injuries to the face after an assault, talk to our advisers.

Special Expenses In A Criminal Injuries Compensation Claim

The CICA can also award a payment for special expenses. These are financial losses you’ve suffered as a result of your injuries.

In order to qualify for this, you must have lost earnings or the capacity to earn, or have been incapacitated to a similar extent, for at least 28 weeks as a result of your injury. However, special expenses will be backdated to the date of the incident.

The costs must also be essential, reasonable, and unavailable for free elsewhere. Examples of special expenses can include:

  • Physical aids damaged during the incident.
  • Care costs relating to your bodily requirements or food preparation.

You could also receive a payment for loss of earnings if you were completely unable to undertake any paid work or had a very limited capacity to do so for more than 28 full weeks.

However, there are other eligibility requirements that must me met in order to qualify for this payment. If you are eligible, you can receive payment for loss of earnings from the 29th week onwards.

Please note the compensation you could receive when claiming directly against the perpetrator or vicariously liable third party will differ to the amounts listed above. For more information, please get in touch on the number above.

Why Make A No Win No Fee CICA Compensation Claim?

You do not need a solicitor to make a claim through the CICA. However, they can provide valuable insight and expertise when navigating the claims process. Additionally, one of the solicitors on our panel could offer you a kind of No Win No Fee agreement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

Under the terms of a CFA, you generally do not have to pay for your solicitor’s services if your claim fails. Nor will you usually have to pay upfront or during the claims process. Instead, your solicitor will take a percentage of your compensation if your claim succeeds. This is called a success fee, and it is subject to a legal cap.

To discuss your potential claim for injuries to the face after an assault, get in touch. Our team is available 24/7 and they may be able to put you in touch with one of the criminal injury solicitors on our panel. Learn more by:

  • Calling us at 0800 073 8805 to speak to an expert now
  • Filling out our ‘make a claim’ form to request more information
  • Speaking to an adviser using the live chat onscreen now.

Learn More About Claiming For Injuries To The Face After An Assault

Please find below some more of our guides that may be useful:

Additionally, we have provided some external resources:

We hope this article on claiming compensation for injuries to the face after an assault has helped. To learn more, contact us using the information below.

Writer Morgan Fink

Editor Meg Monk