Accidents compensation

If you are injured in a traffic accident, such as a car or motorcycle accident, you are generally entitled to compensation regardless of whether you caused the accident or not. This is due to the compulsory insurance on vehicles under Icelandic law, which covers the driver and passengers, as well as any other parties, e.g. pedestrians, who are injured by the vehicle.

If you are injured at work, or on a direct route to or from work, you are entitled to compensation from accident insurance for employees mandated by collective wage agreements/union contracts, as well as social security accident insurance. The right to claim compensation is not dependent on establishing fault or blame for the occurrence of the accident.

If you are injured while working at sea, you generally have more extensive rights than arise in traditional work accidents. Seafarers do not have to prove their employer’s liability for a claim to be made.

If you are injured in an accident during leisure time, your insurance policy is of utmost importance. Leisure time accident insurance is often included in family and home contents insurance policies. As terms differ between both insurance companies and policies it is vital to read the policy terms carefully to fully realise your rights to compensation.

Even though your accident was not a traffic accident, work accident or leisure time accident, you might still have a right to compensation. A right to compensation may for example exist for accidents that happen during household chores, sports activities, etc. Furthermore, some individuals have purchased special insurance policies that are more comprehensive and cover losses due to more causes than just accidents, such as sickness insurance or disability insurance.