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Fatal Accidents Act, 1855

1. Short title and extent

(1) This Act may be called the Fatal Accidents Act, 1855.

(2) It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

1A. Suit for compensation to the family of a person for loss occasioned to it by his death by actionable wrong

Whenever the death of a person shall be caused by wrongful act, neglect, or default, and the act, neglect or default is such as would (if death had not ensured) have entitled the party injured to maintain an action and recover damages in respect thereof, the party who would have been liable if death had not ensured, shall be liable to an action or suit for damages, notwithstanding the death of the person injured, and although the death shall have been caused under such circumstances as amount in law to felony or other crime.

Every such action or suit shall be for the benefit of the wife, husband, parent and child, if any, of the person whose death shall have been so caused, and shall be brought by and in the name of the executor, administrator, or representative of the person deceased;

and in every such action, the court may give such damages as it may think proportioned to the loss resulting from such death to the parties respectively, for whom and for whose benefit such action shall be brought, and the amount so recovered, after deducting all costs and expenses, including the costs not recovered from the defendant, shall be divided amongst the before-mentioned parties, or any of them, in such shares as the court by its judgement or decree shall direct.

3. Plaintiff shall deliver particulars, etc.

The plaint in any such action or suit shall give a full particular of the person or persons for whom, or on whose behalf, such action or suit shall be brought, and of the nature of the claim in respect of such damages shall be sought to be recovered.

4. Interpretation clause

The following words and expressions are intended to have the meanings hereby assigned to them respectively, so far as such meanings are not excluded by the context or by the nature of the subject-matter; that is to say, the word "person" shall apply to bodies politic and corporate; and the word "parent" shall include father and mother, grand-father and grand-mother; and the word "child" shall include son and daughter, and grand-son and grand-daughter, and step-son and step-daughter.