Quicklinks

• Desperate? - ring Samaritans on 0845 7 90 90 90 any time of day or night



• What to do after a death - England & Wales - Click Here
  
  
• What to do after a death - Scotland - Click Here
  
  
• Need to talk? - ring our helpline on 0845 123 5542 - 9am to 9pm every day
  
  
• Trying to cope with grief? - Click Here
  
  
• Need legal advice - ring our helpline on 0845 123 5542 or Click Here
  
  
• Looking for counselling?- ring our helpline on 0845 123 5542 or Click Here
  
  
• Looking for information about sentencing? - Click Here

Bereavement

Bereavement is something almost all of us have to go through, but when the death is sudden and unexpected, as in a road death, it can be all the more difficult to cope with.

The Practicalities

As far as the practicalities of dealing with a death are concerned, then we strongly recommend that you read the Department for Work and Pension's excellent booklet 'What to do after a death in England and Wales' - you can find the booklet at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2006/d49_april06.pdf .If you are based in Scotland, then there is also a booklet for you called 'What to do after a death in Scotland' and you can find this at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/174162/0048570.pdf

These two booklets will go a long way to helping you with the practical side of dealing with the death of someone close to you.

Dealing with the loss

Grieving is a natural process if you have lost someone you love, and sometimes it feels that you have no way to turn, no-one to help you, or maybe you may be worried that you're not grieving 'in the right way'. Rest assured that everyone grieves differently - there is no right or wrong way. If you would like to learn more about grief and how to cope with it, please visit our Coping with Grief page. You can also download the information contained there in a handy booklet by clicking here.

Counselling

There is always help available to get you through the trauma of losing someone close to you as far as your emotional well-being is concerned. Many people find that counselling is helpful at this time, and you may find it useful to visit our counselling pages - this will help you to find a counsellor and give you more of an idea of what counselling is about.

CADD, together with our sister charity SCARD can help you to find a counsellor that is experienced in bereavement - if you live in the West Yorkshire area, we can arrange counselling for you free-of-charge by one of our experienced counsellors - this is based in our counselling rooms in Mirfield. If you live outside the area, we can still help you to access counselling in your local area.

Support Groups

There are also many support groups and bereavement charities that may be able to help you through this time - please see our links page for more details, or contact us and we will be delighted to help you.

CADD Helpline

If you would like to talk to someone who has experienced the trauma of road death, please ring our helpline on 0845 123 5542 - this is a local-rate number and is staffed from 9am to 9pm 365 days per year. If it's information you are looking for, or just a friendly, sympathetic ear, then phoning the helpline would be a good move.

Legal Aspects

With a road death there may be many legal aspects that will come as a new experience to many. The CADD booklet Criminal Law - Implications After Road Death and Injury is available free for you to download - this gives a brief outline of legal issues arising around a road death.

You may be concerned about getting compensation after a road death - if so, please download our booklet Civil Law - Compensating the Victims of Death and Injury - available free in Word or Acrobat format.

It is likely that there will be a Coroner's Court hearing into the death - this often happens in the case of sudden, unexpected death. If you would like any information about the Coroner's Court and what goes on there, please download a copy of our booklet Inquests and Coroner's Courts .

If criminal proceedings have been taken against someone involved in the incident, and you are not happy with the sentence handed out if found guilty, it is possible to appeal the sentence. Please note that if you are intending to appeal a sentence, then it must be done within 28 days of the sentence being passed. You may find our Sentencing page useful, as it shows the guidlines that courts of appeal use when sentencing 'death by dangerous driving' offences.

If you have any legal query relating to a road incident, please contact us - we may be able to offer you free initial legal advice from experienced solicitors.

And Finally

Remember - help is only a phone call away - just ring our helpline on 0845 123 5542