The Road Accident Fund is a government-supported insurance fund that thousands of citizens claim from each year. The RAF exists to take care of people who have been negatively affected by the loss of a loved one or a physical injury due to a road accident.
What Does the RAF Cover?
The Road Accident Fund is responsible for adequately compensating those who have sustained life-altering injuries or who have lost loved ones as a result of another driver’s negligence on the road. This means that even if the negligent driver does not have insurance, the victim and/or the family can still receive financial support from the RAF.
The following is compensated by the RAF:
- Past and future hospital and medical expenses.
- Loss of support. If the main income provider is killed in a road accident as a result of another driver’s negligence, the dependants of the victim can claim support.
- Funeral expenses.
- General damages for pain, suffering, and bodily disfigurement. This is determined after a thorough examination of the extent and seriousness of the injury.
- Lost earnings if you’re unable to work as a result of the accident.
Who Can Claim from the RAF?
The RAF claim process can be confusing and full of red tape. While it’s true that anybody who was involved in the accident can claim from the Road Accident Fund (except the driver who is responsible for the accident), there are a few others who may not have been in the accident who can also make a claim.
The following can make RAF claims:
- A person who was injured in the accident (except for the driver who caused the accident). These include passengers, pedestrians, and other drivers.
- A dependant of a deceased person who died as a result of the accident. These include parents, legal guardians, children, and foster parents.
- The above may also claim regarding any future medical expenses.
- A close relative of the deceased regarding funeral expenses.
- An executor of the deceased’s estate.
How To Claim For RAF
A person may make a direct claim to the Fund, or they may hire a lawyer to cover the procedures for them. When making a claim, the claimant will need to fill out all the necessary details regarding the accident, the injuries and/or deaths, witnesses, as well as any documents that are required by the Fund. Once completed, the claim must be hand-delivered or posted by registered mail to the nearest Fund offices. The RAF then commences their investigation of the claim to determine whether it’s valid or not.
Once the claim form is submitted, you have to wait for the RAF to either reject or accept your claim. If your claim is settled and they agree to compensate you, you may still be required to wait months, if not years, for the money to be paid out. If you’re waiting on your RAF pay-out and you could use the money sooner rather than later, consider taking out a RAF advance loan from raf-bridging.co.za. A RAF loan is the perfect remedy for the indefinite wait that comes with a Fund pay-out.