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United Kingdom
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Key definition
Personal injury definition

What does Personal injury mean? Personal injury describes harm to a person’s body or mind, as opposed to damage to property or pure economic loss. In practice it underpins civil claims in tort/delict, including negligence, occupiers’ liability, employers’ liability, product liability, road traffic accidents and clinical negligence. Across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, legislation (notably limitation statutes and, in Ireland, Personal Injuries Assessment Board legislation) commonly defines personal injuries to include disease and any impairment of a person’s physical or mental condition. Recognised heads therefore cover physical injury, industrial disease and psychiatric injury. Fatal injury claims are related but procedurally distinct. Key legal features...

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Road Traffic Act 1988 s 170: Duty to Stop, Give Details and Report Road Accidents—Offences, Defences and Sentencing (England and Wales)

Practice notes
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Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (RTA 1988)

Drivers have a duty to stop at the scene of an accident and, when required, to provide their personal details and to report the accident. A failure to comply amounts to summary-only offences triable exclusively in the magistrates’ court. This obligation arises where:

  • a driver of a mechanically propelled vehicle
  • is driving on a road or other public place; and
  • an accident occurs by which:
    • Personal injury is caused to a person other than the defendant; or
    • damage is caused to another vehicle, to property not belonging to the defendant, or to an animal not in the vehicle

Damage to property refers to property constructed on, fixed to, growing in, or otherwise forming part of the land on which the relevant road or public place is situated, or land adjacent to such land. For the purposes of this offence, the definition of animal is confined to horse, cattle, ass, mule, sheep, pig, goat or dog...

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Alex McHugh
Alex McHugh

Alex McHugh joined Pump Court Chambers following successful completion of his pupillage. His key areas of practice are criminal defence, family, and landlord & tenant disputes. Prior to joining Chambers, Alex worked as a paralegal for a number of years at a Legal 500 firm in London. Two of those years were spent in crime under the stewardship of extremely experienced senior partners. Alex helped manage cases from beginning to end and represented all manner of clients in respect of a full range of alleged offences. As counsel, Alex defends his clients throughout every stage of proceedings. Alex accepts private and, where applicable, publicly funded briefs on road traffic offences, and has experience in representing clients in relation to speeding, drinking driving, “totting up”, and causing injury by dangerous driving offences.  Alex predominantly works across the Western Circuit, London, and the South East.  ...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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