How Does Claimant Age Affect Lifecycles Within Large Loss Claims?

In the first of two strategic insights, we explore these trends and consider whether claimant age can reliably predict claim duration.

The lifecycle of a large loss claim invariably has a significant impact on overall indemnity spend. There are many factors which might potentially influence how long a claim takes to settle. One potential factor is the claimant’s age. We have categorised the claimant’s age at date of injury into three groupings: 0-17, 18-69 and 70+. In this first of two strategic insights, we focus on the relationship between median lifecycles when comparing the three age groups, and examine whether claimant’s age alone can be a reliable predictor of claim lifecycles.*

Claimants in the first age group are of course categorised as children/infants under the Civil Procedure Rules. Unless falling under the very rare exception permitted by CPR 21.2(3), infant claims require a litigation friend and settlement requires court approval. These factors typically add several