You can be compensated for injuries sustained in an accident

Refilwe Moroka is a 19-year-old student studying to be a beauty therapist at college. She lives with her parents. One Monday morning on her way to college, the taxi she was travelling in collided with another vehicle and rolled. Refilwe was injured in the accident, losing the full use of her right arm. This was a serious problem for her as she would not be able to pursue her dream of becoming a beautician, with the severe injuries to her arm and hand.

Lucky for her, her parents are members of Scorpion Legal Protection, so they were able to get advice on how to claim from the Road Accident Fund (RAF).

Did you know that you can be compensated if what happened to Refilwe,happens to you?

What is the Road Accident Fund?

The Road Accident Fund is a government body set up to compensate people who have been injured due to negligent driving on the roads. The dependents of people killed are also compensated.

Do you know who to turn to for guidance?

Negotiating the legalities around claiming from the RAF can be tricky! If you or a member of your family got into a serious accident today, would you know who to turn to?

Scorpion Legal Protection can help you claim

Scorpion Legal Protection has a specialist motor vehicle accident personal injuries department that can help you claim from the RAF.

But beware of people pretending to be RAF officials

There are unscrupulous people out there who may text, call or send you emails asking for your banking details so that they can deposit money into your account. NEVER give out any personal information unless you are 100% sure that you are dealing with a legitimate official.

Did you know?

• In terms of the RAF Amendment Act, a person must suffer 30% Whole Person Impairment or disability (WPI) confirmed by a medical doctor or specialist in order to qualify for compensation, for example, paralysis or loss of limbs.
• If you know the identity of the negligent driver you will have three years to claim from the RAF. If you don’t know the identity – for instance if it was a hit and run accident – you will only have two years to claim.

To claim compensation you will need the following:

• A completed RAF claim form (RAF 1).
• An affidavit with all the details of the accident, including the names of the people involved and time and date it happened.
• Statements of witnesses, if there were any.
• Police reports.
• Hospital and medical reports.
• Documents in support of amounts claimed.

The RAF will then determine if the claim is valid by looking at the seriousness of your injuries, the details of the accident, whether it was submitted on time, etc.

Making a false claim to the RAF is fraud, and can result in imprisonment.

To join Scorpion Legal Protection, SMS “KASI” to 34453 and they’ll call you back.

(Ts and Cs apply. SMSs charged at R1,50)

For more information and advice on RAF and other legal issues that may affect you, contact Scorpion Legal Protection, or visit their Facebook page.