Last updated 10th February 2026. Child whiplash claims can be made on behalf of any children who have experienced whiplash during a car accident. While whiplash usually is not too serious, children are more vulnerable to this type of injury as the muscles and tendons are weaker than those of adults. Therefore, it is very important to seek medical attention for any child involved in a car accident, particularly if they are complaining of neck pain.
Our expert solicitors can provide end-to-end support for any eligible child whiplash claim. Simply contact our advisors for a free consultation, and valid claimants will be connected with the right solicitor for them. Legal Expert can help with calculating a fair and accurate compensation figure, collecting supporting evidence and making sure you understand exactly what is happening with your claim.
More detailed information, answers to any queries as well as a free eligibility check can be found by getting in touch with our advisors today.
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How much could a child get for whiplash? Each case is unique, and so is valued on a case-by-case basis. However, a child could receive up to £4,345 for whiplash and psychological injuries suffered for up to 18-24 months.
What are the symptoms of child whiplash? Symptoms of child whiplash may include pins and needles, neck and back pain, stiffness and reduced motion in the neck.
What should I do if my child has whiplash? It’s essential that you seek medical attention for your child to receive a correct diagnosis, especially if pain is present.
How are child whiplash injuries treated? Depending on the severity, child whiplash injuries are typically treated with a combination of painkillers, physical therapy and a reduction in exercise and lifting.
How do you prove that a child suffered whiplash injuries? Helpful evidence could include a copy of your child’s medical records, photographs of visual injuries, CCTV footage of the accident and the contact details of potential witnesses.
You can also watch our video below which explains the key takeaways from our guide:
How Can Whiplash In Children Occur?
Whiplash happens when the head is thrown in a violent manner forwards and backwards. This is why it often occurs as a result of road traffic accidents. However, whiplash can occur in other ways. Some of the most common causes include:
Road traffic collisions and accidents
Being struck on the head by a solid or heavy object
A fall or slip where the head suddenly jolts backwards
A sudden blow to the head, i.e. during sports
As you can see, a child can end up suffering from whiplash in much of the same way that an adult can, which is why child whiplash compensation claims are quite common.
How Do I Know If My Child Has Whiplash?
You will know if you child has whiplash if following a car accident they are experiencing neck pain. Whiplash is a type of injury characterised by the sudden movement of the head, so it is particularly common following rear-end collisions. Since children have weaker skeletons than adults and commonly sit in the back seats, they are particularly vulnerable.
Whiplash symptoms to look out for, according to the NHS include:
Neck pain, especially if it remains serious after a period of time and taking painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Stiffness in the neck, or if your child is struggling to move their head.
Muscle spasms in the arms and shoulders.
Headaches.
Appropriate medical attention should be sought if a child is exhibiting any of these symptoms. Once they have been seen by a GP or at a walk in centre, contact one of our friendly advisors to learn more about seeking compensation.
Can I Make A Whiplash Claim On Behalf Of My Child?
Children cannot make their own whiplash claim. However, you can make one on behalf of your child.
If you would like to seek personal injury compensation for your child, you will need to be appointed as their litigation friend. This means that you will need to apply to the court to act on behalf of your child for a whiplash claim.
You can apply to become your child’s litigation friend at any point before they turn 18. If proceedings are still ongoing when your child turns 18, you will no longer be their litigation friend as they are deemed old enough to make a claim themselves. Should this occur, your child will need to write to the court to inform them.
If the claim is successful, the Court Funds Office (CFO) will hold their settlement until they turn 18. However, as whiplash in a child may incur some expenses, you can apply for a payment to be made on behalf of your child. For example, if they require physical therapy to recover from their injury.
If you have any questions about applying to be your child’s litigation friend for court proceedings, please get in touch with an advisor from our team.
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Steps To Take When Claiming For Whiplash In Children
If your child has sustained whiplash, the following simple steps could help you make successful whiplash claims for compensation on behalf of your child:
Seek immediate medical attention – ensure that you’re not in danger or further harm and have any injuries logged on your medical record by your doctor
Exchange details with any other road users involved – these could be crucial to the claim as they could allow you to hold those responsible liable
Collect evidence – including photos of the scene and any damage to your vehicle
Seek professional legal advice – get in touch with us at Legal Expert today for a free legal consultation and see how our No Win No Fee solicitors could help
What Evidence Do I Need For Child Whiplash Claims?
Collecting evidence is an important step in child whiplash claims to establish the liability of the other party for your child’s injuries. Some examples of the evidence that you could gather include are:
Medical records, such as test reports, prescriptions and the GP’s notes.
Photographs of the accident site or any visible lacerations or scars.
Financial documents, such as bills and bank statements, to demonstrate special damages.
Police report details, if applicable.
Employment records to highlight how caring for your child has impacted your ability to work.
We understand that gathering evidence can be a challenging and time-consuming process. However, you need not worry, as our solicitors will assist you throughout the entire claims process from start to finish. If you make your child’s whiplash injury claim with us, we will do our best to minimise the pressure on your family.
Call our advisors now for guidance on collecting evidence or for any other questions you may have.
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What Is The Time Limit When Claiming Whiplash Compensation For Children?
If you are eligible to make a personal injury claim for whiplash on behalf of your child, there are certain time limits you must adhere to. These are set by the Limitation Act 1980.
When claiming for a whiplash injury, an adult will generally have three years to start their claim from the date of the accident.
However, for children under the age of 18, this limitation period is paused until their 18th birthday. From this date, they will have three years to start a claim. However, prior to this date, a court-appointed litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf. A litigation friend could be a parent or solicitor, for example.
Contact our advisors if you are still wondering, ‘Can I claim for whiplash on behalf of my child?’ They could also inform of the other exceptions to the three-year time limit for personal injury claims.
What Types Of Compensation Could I Receive?
When making a claim for a child whiplash injury, you can claim for the following:
General damages – This relates to general damages for the pain and suffering that the child has experienced, including physical and psychological injuries, like whiplash and subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder.
Out-of-pocket expenses – You can claim for any costs you have incurred as a direct consequence of your child’s injury as part of a child whiplash compensation claim, such as:
As stated above, following a successful claim, general damages are awarded to compensate for the physical pain and mental suffering experienced by your child because of their whiplash injury.
If you are pursuing a claim on behalf of your child, a compensation calculator could help you with giving a clearer idea of how much could be awarded to your child in whiplash compensation.
Whiplash in children is valued in line with the tariff of injuries set out in the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021. This is due to the introduction of the Whiplash Reform Programme. We have included some of these figures in the table below.
Any additional injuries your child may have suffered will be valued traditionally. In the table below, we have also included figures for neck injuries listed in the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This is a document used by many legal professionals to help them value injuries. This is because it contains a list of compensation guidelines for various injuries. However, these figures should only be used as a guide. How much compensation you could receive may be affected by the factors of the claim.
Please note that the first entry has not been taken from the JCG.
Injury
Severity
Compensation Guidelines
Multiple Serious Injuries Plus Financial Losses
Very Serious
Up to £200,000+
Neck
Severe (i)
In the region of £181,020
Severe (ii)
£80,240 to £159,770
Severe (iii)
£55,500 to £68,330
Moderate (i)
£30,500 to £46,970
Moderate (ii)
£16,770 to £30,500
Moderate (iii)
£9,630 to £16,770
Whiplash Injury Regulations Tariffs
Whiplash symptoms with minor psychological damage lasting 18-24 months
£4,345
Whiplash symptoms without a psychological injury lasting 18-24 months
£4,215
Call our advisors if you would like to discuss your potential claim and receive free advice.
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No Win No Fee Child Whiplash Compensation Claims
One of our No Win No Fee solicitors who has experience handling child whiplash claims could help you claim compensation on behalf of your child.
By offering to represent the whiplash claim on a No Win No Fee basis under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement, there are no fees to pay for the solicitor’s services upfront. Additionally, there will be no service fees to pay while the whiplash injury claim is ongoing or if it ends unsuccessfully.
However, if the solicitor is successful with the whiplash claim, they will be due a success fee. This fee will be taken directly out of the whiplash injury compensation awarded, and there is a legal cap in place for the percentage that this fee can be.
Contact Us To Start Your Child Whiplash Claim
Contact one of our advisors today to see if one of our No Win No Fee personal injury solicitors could assist you with making a child whiplash injury claim on behalf of your child. They could offer you free advice for the road traffic accident claim as well as answer any questions you may have about the child whiplash injury claims process.
To connect with them today and receive free legal advice, you can:
We’ve given answers to common questions here and we hope this will be useful for you. It is not, however, a substitute for getting good legal advice, so please speak to one of our advisors for more detailed guidance regarding your particular circumstances.
Are Child Whiplash Claims Different From Adult Whiplash Claims?
Yes they are. As well as children being unable to claim on their own behalf, children cannot claim through the Whiplash Reform Programme for their injuries as this only applies to adult drivers and passengers. All child injury cases must follow traditional personal injury claims processes.
Can A Child Suffer Whiplash In A Low-Speed Collision?
Whiplash can be sustained in low-speed collisions yes. While higher speed crashes may increase the likelihood of sudden head movement, or result in more serious injuries, whiplash can still be suffered at lower speeds.
Can Whiplash Affect Children Differently From Adults?
Yes it can. As well as the fact that children have weaker muscles and skeletons, their heads are also heavier relative to their body size. This means they are more vulnerable to whiplash injuries.
Can Psychological Trauma Be Included In Child Whiplash Claims?
Yes the whiplash tariff does include minor psychological injuries. Any further psychological damage can also be compensated, although this would need to be confirmed by a medical diagnosis and valued separately by a solicitor
Can Guardians Or Grandparents Bring A Child Whiplash Claim?
Yes a legal guardian or grandparent can bring a child whiplash claim if they are appointed as the child’s litigation friend.
Does A Court Need To Approve A Child Whiplash Settlement?
The court will not need to approve a child whiplash settlement if the claim is resolved outside of court. Only if there is a trial, will the judge decide on the compensation that needs to be paid.
Where Is A Child’s Compensation Held Until Adulthood?
A child’s compensation is held by the Court Funds Office (CFO) until they reach adulthood.
This link takes you to our guide on using a whiplash compensation calculator. You will also find plenty of additional information, including whiplash compensation claims FAQs, details on how compensation is calculated, as well as details on the different types of circumstances that can result in whiplash.
If you’ve had a road traffic accident but the other party is uninsured, this is an online claims portal where you can see if you have a claim online using the MIB.
Thanks for reading our child whiplash claims guide.
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