The South African road accident fund (RAF) is a public entity that was created in order to financially support injured victims of traffic accidents.
If you’re ever involved in an accident with a driver that benefits from the RAF, you should know some of your legal rights.
Here are some things that you need to look out for:
– The accident must have occurred in South Africa
– The accident must have caused a personal injury that resulted in a physical injury or disability
– At least one of the drivers involved in the accident is covered by this fund. If these criteria apply, then you can take legal action against the RAF.
In order to do so, there are four important steps that you should follow:
1) Make Sure You Don’t Sign Anything
After an accident occurs, it’s not uncommon for both drivers to be very stressed and emotional. It might be tempting for them to simply sign a document waiving their claims and leaving everything to the RAF (Road Accident Fund). This is a big mistake and you should never sign anything that makes it seem like you’re giving up all rights to claim damages.
2) Get the Other Driver’s Details
The RAF will try their best to dodge claims, as they don’t want to pay out any money at all. Therefore, make sure you get as much information as possible from the other driver after an accident occurs:
– Their name, address and the registration number of their vehicle, their cellphone number and home phone number.
A description of either their car or themselves (if not personally known), including:
— Make model of car — Year of manufacture — Coloring (bumpy paint job, etc)
— Use of number plates (personalized or not)
– The make and model of your vehicle, as well as the year of manufacture
– The color of your car
– Contact details for any witness who saw the accident
3) Find a Skilled Lawyer
In order to win a case against the RAF, you should have a skilled lawyer representing you.
Hiring a lawyer can be expensive but it’s definitely worth it if they manage to win the case.
4) Beware Of Time Limits
In order to claim damages from the RAF, time is always a factor.
If you fail to make a claim on time, the opportunity will be lost forever. This means that you should make sure to take action before the deadlines expire.
Conclusion
If you want to beat the RAF in a court case, there are some important steps that you will need to take. First of all, never sign anything waiving your rights after an accident occurs. Second, make sure that you get as much information about the other driver involved in the crash as possible including their name and contact details–this includes both physical aspects like height or hair color and car-related information such as license plate number or year manufactured. Next, find a skilled lawyer who can represent you effectively against this public entity (it’s worth it if they win). Lastly, be mindful of time limits; once deadlines expire for claiming damages from RAF cases then your opportunity is lost forever
