Bulgaria Road Accident Claim: European RTA solicitor sets out when you can claim in the UK for injuries suffered in a Bulgarian motor vehicle accident
Specialist solicitor takes a step by step approach in explaining when you are entitled to claim compensation in the UK for injury in a Bulgaria road accident; the importance of being resident in the UK at the time of the accident; when you claim in the UK even when you are not resident here; how both UK and Bulgarian law applies in a UK claim; the option to rely totally on Bulgarian law and how to get specialist solicitor free assistance in assessing your Bulgarian road accident claim.
Can you make a Bulgaria road accident claim in the UK if you are resident in the United Kingdom?
Bulgaria Road Accident Claim
“Yes” – if you are resident in the UK and injured by a motor vehicle in a road accident in Bulgaria, typically you can make a claim from the UK for your compensation. There must be at least one motor vehicle involved in the accident, so car drivers, motor vehicle passengers, motorcyclists, pedestrians, pedal cyclists, lorry and HGV drivers, coach passengers, etc. can all claim for injury in Bulgaria.
The two main examples include:
1. You are a UK citizen resident in the UK
If you resident in the UK and you suffer injury in a road accident whilst travelling abroad or on holiday in Bulgaria, European law allows you to make a Bulgaria road accident claim in the UK for compensation for your injuries.
2. You are a Polish citizen or a citizen of another European Union Or European Economic Area country, but you are resident in the UK
Even if you are a Bulgarian citizen or a citizen of another European Union or European Economic Area country, but you reside in the UK, you can still make a Bulgaria road accident claim in the UK.
Can you claim from the UK for a Bulgarian road accident if you are not resident in the UK?
There are two further occasions when you can claim in the UK for injuries in a road accident:
1. When the driver of the motor vehicle causing your injury in Bulgaria is resident in the UK.
2. When the person driving the vehicle was doing so as part of a business and that business has an office based in the UK.
Does UK law or Bulgarian law apply when making your claim in the UK?
The answer technically is the laws from both countries apply in different parts – known as the duality principle. For this reason, European road accident claims can be quite complicated.
For example: the issue of fault or legal liability is determined by the law of the land where the accident happened, so it is decided by Bulgarian law whereas often the amount a claim is worth is determined by the law in which the claim is made.
Be careful – how long you have to start a claim before it is too late, known as the statutory limitation period, is decided by the country in which the accident happened, so it is decided by Bulgarian law.
Can you decide whether to claim in Bulgaria or the UK?
When you suffer injury in an accident of any kind a country foreign to the UK – you always have the option to make a claim in the country where your accident occurred.
Should you decide to make your Bulgaria road accident claim in Bulgaria – you will be subject in totality to the law of Bulgaria even if you had the right to claim from the UK at the outset.
How to have a specialist assess your Bulgaria road accident claim free of charge
This website offers direct dial calls to a specialist European road accident solicitor or an online claims assessment facility – both free of charge.
Click European road accident solicitor to discuss your Bulgaria road accident claim with a specialist solicitor in person and to access our online claims assessment and ask a question facility.
