By Jo Greenwood. Last updated 9th September 2025. In this guide, we look at whether you could make a claim after a car accident despite not suffering an injury. To be able to make a personal injury claim, you need to prove that you have suffered an injury due to another road user breaching their duty of care. If you have not suffered an injury, you will not be able to make a personal injury claim.

However, later in this guide, we will look at how to make a car insurance claim for vehicle damage. We will also discuss whether you could make a claim for stress and anxiety after a car accident. Additionally, we will discuss the benefits of making a personal injury claim with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors.

If you would like to discuss what happens after a car accident, or if you have any other questions regarding your car accident claim, you can get in touch with one of our advisors. Our friendly team is available 24/7 to help you and offer free advice.

Contact an advisor today by:

• Calling us on 0800 073 8804
• Contact us online by filling out our online form
• Using our free live chat feature

What Is A Car Accident Without An Injury?

A car accident without injury is a road traffic collision where no vehicle occupants, pedestrians or other road users sustained injuries. While this is definitely a positive outcome to any incident, the question that remains is whether you can claim for a car accident without an injury.

In order to make a personal injury claim, you need to have sustained some harm. This harm can be physical, such as broken bones, internal injuries or brain damage, or it psychological such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). If no harm has been sustained, you cannot make a personal injury claim, although you could make an insurance claim for any damage to your vehicle.

All road users have a duty of care to one another to avoid causing each other harm. This means abiding by the standards of both the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code. We have provided the eligibility criteria for road traffic accident claims here:

1. You were owed a duty of care by another road user.
2. That road user failed to uphold this duty.
3. Their failure resulted in an accident in which you were injured.

If no physical injury has been sustained, you could still claim for any psychological distress, as well claiming through the other road user’s insurer for the damage to your vehicle. A non injury car accident solicitor could help you to seek compensation following an accident where no physical harm has been sustained.

What Is The Car Accident Claims Time Limit?

As we have previously stated, you must have suffered a physical or psychological injury to be able to make a personal injury claim. If you are eligible to make a compensation claim, you must adhere to the personal injury claims time limit. Under the Limitation Act 1980, you will generally have 3 years to start your claim. This runs from the date of the accident.

There are certain exceptions to this limitation period. For example, the time limit is temporarily frozen for those under the age of 18. From their 18th birthday, they will have 3 years to start a claim. However, prior to this date, a litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf.

To learn more about the other exceptions to this 3-year time limit for car accident claims, you can contact our advisors. They can also provide you with free advice on whether you could make a claim if you have not suffered an injury.

What Should You Do After A Car Accident In Which No One Was Injured?

The actions we advise you take after a car accident that has caused damage to property or people are as follows:

• Stop your vehicle (it is an offence not to stop at the scene of an accident)
• Switch your engine off
• Put your hazard lights on
• Check for injury to yourself and any passengers you’re carrying
• Make a note of the fact that there aren’t any injuries to anyone or damage to vehicles in case a claim is put in. Take photos too.
• If someone is hurt or the road is blocked, call the emergency services
• Don’t admit fault until you are completely sure of what has happened. Shock and adrenaline could distort your thoughts and this could protect you from liability if the accident was not your fault.
• Take photographs of the vehicles and the scene if possible
• Take the details of any witnesses and the driver involved, as well as their insurance details

If no one has been hurt and there doesn’t appear to be damage to vehicles, you should still inform the police of the accident within 24 hours of it occurring. If you don’t report an accident, you could be fined and may receive points on your licence.

Criminal Offences After An Accident

Failure to stop after an accident that has caused property damage or injury and failure to report an accident could be considered criminal offences. You may be found guilty of either a failure to stop or a failure to report. In some cases, you could be found guilty of both.

The penalties you could get for each offence could be up to £5,000. You could also receive 5-10 penalty points on your licence. In some cases, the courts could even have to power to disqualify you from driving.

Hit And Run Car Accident – Can I Still Claim If I’m Not Injured?

You could still potentially be eligible to claim for a car accident without an injury with a hit and run driver through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). 

The MIB aims to give those who have suffered a road traffic accident with an uninsured driver, or an untraceable driver after a hit and run, an opportunity to still receive compensation. Compensation can still be awarded through the MIB even if no physical injuries have been sustained, as you can claim for just property damage. 

However, there is no guarantee to this. The MIB may tell you that if it is possible to do so, you may have to claim via your own insurance policy. But, in some circumstances, you can appeal their decision. 

To learn more information about the MIB, please contact us today. Additionally, our specialist solicitors could potentially help you claim for a car accident without an injury with a hit and run or uninsured driver if you have still suffered harm, such as psychological damage. They have years of knowledge and experience in winning road traffic accident claims for a variety of clients. Simply have a chat with our team today.

How To Tell Your Insurance Provider About A Car Accident

You should inform your insurance company about a car accident you’ve been involved in, even if it wasn’t your fault and you don’t intend to claim. If you’re not intending on making a claim, you should make sure to tell them you are making an ‘information only’ report.

This could ensure that your insurer doesn’t settle a claim with the insurance company of another driver without your knowledge.

Can Someone Else Request Your Insurance Details?

If you were involved in a car accident, then even if you don’t believe you were at fault, you have to give your insurance details to someone if they believe you were responsible for the accident. This would be the case even if there were no injuries to either party.

The other party could request your insurance details after the accident, either right away or later on, and you have to provide them with these details. It is an offence not to do so unless you have a reasonable excuse.

One example of what could constitute a reasonable excuse would be if you were injured at the time of asking and could not provide this information.

Can I Claim For A Car Accident Without An Injury?

If you have sustained no injuries at all in an accident that was not your fault, you cannot make a personal injury claim. Personal injury claims are designed to compensate you for pain, suffering and loss of amenity caused by injuries sustained in an accident you were not at fault for.

Compensation Payouts For Car Accident Claims

If no physical injuries have been suffered, but you have suffered severe psychological damage as a result of the car accident, your claim could potentially be worth up to £141,240.

As we have already mentioned, you cannot make a personal injury claim for a car accident without an injury. However, we always recommend working with a solicitor and getting an independent medical assessment because not all injuries are visible.

So, how much compensation could you get if you were injured? Most car accident claims can be split into two heads, which are general damages and special damages. All successful claims will result in general damages, as this heading covers the injuries caused by the car accident.

This includes visible injuries like breaks and sprains, but also invisible injuries, like whiplash and psychological damage. General damages is often calculated with the help of the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).

This document provides guideline compensation amounts for a number of injuries, and we’ve listed some examples of these below. We’ve also included tariffs from the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021, which changed the way that some claims are made in England and Wales. Please note that the first entry in this table isn’t from the JCG.

Special damages cover the financial losses caused by your injuries. For example, if you have severe PTSD, this can remove your ability to work. In this case, special damages could cover your lost earnings. It could also cover the cost of:

• Prescriptions and medical treatments.
• Physiotherapy.
• Help with cooking and cleaning.
• Childcare.
• Home adjustments.
• Mobility aids.

You need to provide proof of these losses to claim. This can include things like invoices and bank statements.

Contact our advisors today to learn more about claiming for a car accident, or keep reading.

No Win No Fee Claims If Injured In A Car Accident

At Legal Expert, our friendly team of advisors work around the clock to answer any questions you may have about making a claim. As part of the free services we offer, you could also receive an eligibility assessment to look at the strengths of your claim. If your claim is strong, you could be connected with one of our expert No Win No Fee solicitors to start your personal injury claim. Our specialist solicitors have decades of experience in prioritising the health and well-being of clients who’ve suffered psychological harm. By operating under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), you could enjoy the following benefits:

• No solicitor service fees at the start of your claim or as it progresses
• No solicitor fees in the event that your claim is unsuccessful
• If your claim is successful, you’ll be required to pay a small success fee for your solicitor’s work. The success fee percentage is capped by law and will be subtracted from your compensation. Therefore, you’ll always receive the bulk of your settlement.

You could also enjoy the following advantages with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors:

• Advice that strictly adheres to the rules of confidentiality
• Regular claim updates so you always know where your case stands
• Arrangements of counselling sessions to aid any ongoing psychological harm
• Explanations of key legal terminologies
• Assistance with signing legal documents
• Help with evidence-gathering such as medical records and witness statements

To learn more about how CFAs or if you could claim for a car accident without an injury, you can contact our advisors.

Start Your Claim

Getting advice on car accident injury compensation couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is get in touch and we’ll provide you with all the help and support you could need. You can reach us in a number of ways:

• Call us on 0800 073 8804
• Contact us online by filling out our online form
• Use our free live chat feature