Personal injury and wrongful death claims usually arise from road traffic accidents and workplace incidents. The forensic accountancy team at HW Chartered Accountants has specialist knowledge of the application of accounting, actuarial and analytical techniques required in these cases.

Our forensic accountancy team that specialises in these areas includes Duncan Barnes, David Black and Caroline Thomas. The team is often instructed in cases involving injuries of the utmost severity, loss of profit in the case of self-employed individuals, or the loss of pension rights and other benefits. We have also developed particular expertise in calculating quantum in complex dependency claims.

We can help with the following aspects:

• Earnings loss for both employed and self-employed individuals
• Pension loss
• Dependency calculations
• CICA claims
• The quantification of loss benefits
• The assessment of mitigating income
• The application of the Gourley principle
• The impact of discounts such as Auty and Longden
• Implications of share options

Typically the initial information that we seek in a personal injury, clinical negligence or dependency engagement is as follows:

• For the self-employed; business accounts and details of their skills and business background
• For the employed; copies of pay-slips and projected career paths
• Pension scheme documentation
• Witness evidence
• Other expert reports; especially medical reports including an analysis of periodic trading over last few years both before and after injury

For more information contact the forensic helpline on 0845 6037020