Serious injury in a road crash

This guide aims to help if:

• you have been seriously injured in a road crash, or
• you are a family member, friend, or helping someone injured.

This guide is particularly for victims and their families and friends affected by injuries that require urgent and ongoing care and help, that are:

• life-threatening (someone might die), and/or
• life-changing, meaning they cause one or more disability that affects independence, and/or cause ongoing pain, or require ongoing operations, treatments, or therapies.

Injuries may include, for example, head injuries, spinal injuries, internal injuries, facial injuries, or loss or damage of limbs.

Even if your injury seems minor, this guide may be useful to you. Some injuries that seem minor can still cause long-term challenges.

Who writes this guide?

This guide is by the charity Brake. Brake runs a free, specialist support service for road victims called the National Road Victim Service. We are an independent service working in partnership with other services to care for your needs.

We offer emotional support and practical help and advice. We also help people bereaved in road crashes.

How to use this guide

Use the contents below to go to a part of this guide you need to read. If the crash happened very recently, the first sections of the guide are most valuable to read now.

If the crash happened very recently, Section 1: What happens now? may be the most useful part to read first. This section gives information and advice on things that often happen in the first few days after a road crash.

The rest of the guide provides information on other issues you may face at different times.