Injured in a Taxi Accident? Preparing a RAF Claim Enquiry

A taxi accident can leave several passengers injured at once, each with different medical needs and very different information about the journey. One passenger may have a photograph of the vehicle, another may know where it was travelling, and someone else may have the police reference. Bringing your own information together is a useful first step towards assessing a possible RAF claim.

Paying a fare does not establish the value of a claim, and the number of injured passengers does not mean that everyone's case will have the same outcome. Each person's injuries, circumstances and losses require individual attention.

Identify the journey as clearly as possible

Record where you boarded, your intended destination, the approximate departure time and the place of the accident. Note the taxi registration and driver's details if you have them. Keep any booking information, fare receipt, messages or photographs that help connect you with that journey.

If the vehicle details are incomplete, explain what you do know. A route description or the location of a rank may help organise the enquiry, but it should not be turned into a guess about the owner or driver. Label uncertain information clearly so that it can be checked.

Give your own account of the collision

Describe where you were sitting and what you could actually see. Perhaps you noticed braking or a vehicle turning, or perhaps you only remember the impact. Those differences matter. Avoid adopting another passenger's explanation simply because it sounds more complete than your own memory.

If another vehicle was involved, preserve its details too. An assessment may need to consider more than one driver's conduct. You do not need to resolve fault yourself before enquiring, and a conversation at the scene should not be treated as a final legal finding.

Keep passenger and witness information separate

Other passengers may be potential witnesses, but their own claims remain separate. Keep contact details where they are willingly provided and note what each person witnessed. Do not circulate identity documents, medical records or private claim details in a passenger messaging group.

Save useful messages in their original form. A message confirming the accident location may help establish the timeline, while an opinion about compensation is not proof of your entitlement. Keep the factual material and explain its source to the person assessing your enquiry.

Build a treatment and work timeline

List the ambulance service, hospital and later treatment providers. Include the date of each visit and keep discharge documents, prescriptions and medical certificates together. If you were transferred between facilities, record that sequence so the early treatment history is not overlooked.

Explain whether the injuries affected your job, travel to work or ability to perform normal tasks. Keep relevant payslips, employer correspondence and expense records. Be clear about what has actually been lost, what was paid by someone else and what remains uncertain.

Check whether someone already acts for you

After a large accident, injured passengers may be approached by several people offering assistance. Keep copies of anything you sign and know who has authority to act for you. Tell a new adviser if you already have an attorney or a RAF reference.

GCM Legal can help assess whether a taxi passenger claim may be available and identify the information still needed. Make contact through this website or complete the full questionnaire. Enquire promptly about the applicable deadlines; a call-back request does not itself lodge your claim.

Sources: Road Accident Fund Act 56 of 1996, as amended, sections 17, 23 and 24 (South African Government; SAFLII consolidated legislation). Checked 28 October 2026.

Hero photograph: Pexels photo 3116410, pexels.com/photo/3116410/, used under the Pexels licence. Illustrative stock image; any people shown are not presented as clients, staff or parties to an accident.