Road accidents in Pakistan are usually resolved on the roadside, by negotiation and payment, with no record made. That works until the injury turns out to be serious, the agreed payment is not made, or a criminal case is registered afterwards on a very different account of events.

What you do in the first hours determines whether you have a case at all.

At the scene

Attend to injuries first. Nothing here matters more.

Then, so far as circumstances allow:

  • Photograph everything — vehicle positions before they are moved, damage from several angles, registration plates, skid marks, road conditions, signage, the wider scene
  • Take witness details. Names and phone numbers. Witnesses disperse within minutes and are almost never traced afterwards
  • Note the other vehicle's registration, and the driver's licence and identity details
  • Ask about insurance and record what you are told
  • Look for cameras — shops, buildings, tollgates. Footage is typically overwritten within days, so ask immediately

Get medical attention and keep every document, even if you feel able to continue. Injuries that present late are much harder to attribute to the accident without a contemporaneous record.

The FIR

Where the accident involves injury or death, a criminal case will usually follow. The FIR is the foundational document and its account governs much of what comes after.

If you are the injured party, ensure the report accurately records what happened. If a case has been registered against you, obtain the FIR and read the sections cited — they determine whether the offence is bailable and which court will hear it.

See how to get an FIR registered and the first 48 hours after an arrest.

Insurance: expect less than you assume

This is where expectations most need adjusting.

Third-party motor cover is required by law in Pakistan, but compliance is far from universal and the statutory limits are low relative to the losses a serious accident produces. Many vehicles on the road carry no effective third-party cover at all.

Comprehensive cover protects your own vehicle and is common on financed and newer vehicles. Where it exists:

  • Notify the insurer immediately — policies impose short notification periods
  • Follow the claims procedure precisely, including any requirement for a survey before repairs
  • Do not admit liability at the scene, which policies commonly prohibit
  • Keep the FIR, the survey report, estimates and invoices

Where the other party is uninsured — a realistic prospect — the claim is against them personally, and the practical question becomes whether they can pay. See recovering money owed in Pakistan.

Routes to compensation

Civil suit for damages against the driver, and where applicable the owner or the employer whose driver was acting in the course of employment. Recoverable heads typically include medical expenses, loss of earnings, vehicle repair or value, and general damages for pain and suffering.

Awards in Pakistan are generally modest compared with other jurisdictions. That is not a reason to accept an unfair settlement, but it should inform whether litigation is proportionate.

Criminal proceedings may run alongside. They do not themselves compensate you, but they frequently create the pressure that produces a settlement.

Insurance claim, where cover exists.

Employer liability, where the driver was working — often the most substantial route, because a company is more likely to be able to pay than an individual driver.

Settling at the roadside

Roadside settlement is the norm and is not wrong in itself for minor damage.

Two cautions. First, do not settle before the extent of injury is known. Injuries commonly present hours or days later, and a payment accepted in full and final settlement can bar a later claim. Second, if you do settle, record it in writing, with identities, the amount, and what it covers.

If someone has died

The family may pursue a civil claim, and criminal proceedings will generally follow.

These matters also frequently involve compromise mechanisms available in Pakistani criminal law, which have consequences for both the criminal case and any civil claim. Take advice before agreeing to anything — the interaction between the two is not obvious, and decisions taken under pressure in the days after a death are difficult to revisit.

Practical advice

Act quickly: evidence disappears, footage is overwritten, witnesses vanish.

Keep every medical document, receipt and estimate.

Do not give a detailed recorded account to the other side's insurer without advice.

Be realistic about recoverability before committing to proceedings, particularly against an individual driver of modest means.

How the firm can help

We act for injured parties and families in claims arising from road accidents — civil claims for damages, insurance disputes where an insurer has declined or underpaid, and representation in the criminal proceedings that run alongside.

We also defend drivers and employers facing claims and prosecutions.

We will tell you honestly what a claim is likely to recover and from whom, before you commit. If you have been involved in a serious accident, contact the firm — or telephone the chambers if criminal proceedings have already started.