The outcome of a road accident case is largely decided in the first hours after the collision. A sketch drawn from the other driver’s account, and a statement given without a lawyer, become the basis of the vehicle-technical expert report. Footage from a shop’s camera, overwritten five days later, is gone for good, and the expert then calculates the trajectories only from a sketch signed “so I could drive off sooner”. Those are the materials the court works with afterwards.
You need a road accident lawyer before the summons arrives — while the scene can still be recorded, witnesses found, and nothing unnecessary said to the police or the insurer.
We handle every strand: disputes with insurers, recovery from the driver at fault, challenges to rulings under Arts. 124 and 130 of the Code of Administrative Offences, and criminal defence under Art. 286 of the Criminal Code.
Areas of work
Money
- Compensation after a road accident: recovering the balance from the driver at fault, non-pecuniary damage, treatment
- Insurance disputes: understated payouts, refusals, subrogation
- Assessing accident damage
The driver’s liability
- Lawyer for Art. 286 of the Criminal Code: accidents with casualties, criminal defence
- Lawyer for Art. 124 of the Code of Administrative Offences: accidents without casualties
- Challenging a report under Art. 130: driving under the influence
- Getting your driving licence back
The car
Which provision are you dealing with
The provision determines which court hears the case, how long the state has to impose a penalty, and whether you risk losing your licence.
| Situation | Provision | Consequences |
|---|---|---|
| Accident without casualties, property damaged | Art. 124 CAO | A fine of 340–425 UAH or disqualification from driving for 6–12 months. The penalty must be imposed within 3 months of the offence |
| Driving under the influence or refusing a test | Art. 130 CAO | A fine of 17,000 UAH and a one-year disqualification (first offence). The period for imposing it is 1 year |
| Accident with injuries or deaths | Art. 286 CC | Criminal liability: from a fine to imprisonment, depending on the severity of the consequences |
| Accident under the influence with casualties | Art. 286-1 CC | Harsher penalties; the law does not allow a suspended sentence |
Confusing the two is expensive: advice that works only for Art. 124 (“just wait three months”) gets applied to an Art. 130 case, and the case is lost on time limits.
What to do at the scene
- Stop and do not leave the scene. Leaving the scene is a separate offence; the injured party is paid by the insurer either way, and the insurer then recovers the whole sum from the driver who fled.
- Call an ambulance if anyone is hurt. Leaving a person in danger is a criminal offence in its own right (Art. 135 CC).
- Call the police, or complete a European accident statement if no one is hurt, both drivers agree on who was at fault, and the damage is within the statement’s limit.
- Record the scene before moving the cars: photographs from several angles, skid marks, where the debris lies, road signs and markings.
- Find witnesses and take their contacts on the spot, before they drive away.
- Save the recordings from your dashcam and, if you can, from nearby cameras. They are overwritten within 3–7 days.
- Give no statement without a lawyer if anyone has been hurt. You have the right not to incriminate yourself (Art. 63 of the Constitution).
- Do not sign the sketch if you disagree with it, or sign it with a note: “I do not agree with the sketch as regards…”.
The three costliest mistakes
Signing the sketch “so I could drive off sooner”
The expert calculates the trajectories and the moment the danger arose from that very sketch, and once it is signed it is almost impossible to correct.
Accepting the insurer’s figure straight away
The insurer calculates by its own method and its own calculator. An independent valuation almost always produces a higher figure, and anything above the insurer’s cap is recovered from the driver at fault.
Not seeing a doctor
A week later there will be nothing to show that the back pain began with the accident, and without medical records neither non-pecuniary damage nor treatment costs can be recovered.
A case from our practice
In 2025 the owner of a crossover came to us after the other driver’s insurer allowed 68,000 UAH for repairs following a rear impact. An independent valuation with the car partly dismantled revealed hidden damage to a chassis rail and the parking sensors, and the figure rose to 154,000 UAH. After our demand the insurer paid part of the balance; the rest, together with the penalty and the cost of the valuation, we recovered in court. About eight months passed between the first approach and the money arriving (details changed).
Court fees and deadlines
The subsistence minimum for working-age people in 2026 is 3,328 UAH, and court fees are calculated from it.
Rates and deadlines for 2026
- 665.60 UAH (0.2 of the minimum) — a claim in the administrative court against a ruling made by a police officer (Art. 286 CAP); an appeal in such a case costs the same;
- no court fee — an appeal against a court ruling under Art. 124 or 130 CAO (Art. 294 CAO);
- 1 % of the value of the claim (from 1,331.20 to 16,640 UAH) — a claim for compensation; through the Electronic Court the rate is 20 % lower;
- 10 days — to challenge a ruling under Arts. 124 and 130 CAO;
- 3 years — the limitation period for property damage; claims for damage caused by injury or death are not subject to limitation (Art. 268 CC).
Calculate the court fee for a compensation claim
Challenging a police ruling costs a flat 665.60 UAH; an appeal in a CAO case is free.
When you do not need a lawyer
A minor accident with no casualties, a European statement completed, an insurance payout that covers the repair, and no claims from the police or the other driver. In that situation a consultation is unnecessary.
You need a road accident lawyer when:
- someone has been injured: that is already a criminal case under Art. 286 CC;
- the insurer has refused or allowed less than the repair costs;
- the loss exceeds the insurer’s cap and the balance must be recovered from the driver at fault;
- you have been found at fault and disagree with the sketch or the ruling;
- a report has been drawn up under Art. 130 CAO;
- you are the injured party and want treatment, lost earnings and non-pecuniary damage paid;
- the insurer has brought a subrogation claim against you.
Cost of services
The 2026 court fee is payable on top of the fee: 1 % of the value of a compensation claim (from 1,331.20 to 16,640 UAH for an individual), 665.60 UAH for a claim in the administrative court against a police ruling, and nothing for an appeal against a court ruling in a CAO case. After a win the fee and the legal costs are recovered from the defendant.
Questions and answers (Road accident lawyer)
Where do I challenge a police ruling, and what if I was never given a copy?
A police officer’s ruling is challenged in the district administrative court within 10 days. If no copy was handed to you or sent, time runs from the day you actually received it, and the court will restore a missed deadline on application. The first step is to request a copy in writing and record the date you received it.
The driver at fault had no motor insurance. Who pays?
The Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine pays the injured party from its central fund and then recovers what it paid from the driver. The application goes to the Bureau just as it would to an insurer: with the police certificate, the vehicle documents and the valuation. Anything above the cap, and non-pecuniary damage, is recovered from the driver through the courts.
The other driver suggests settling on the spot without the police. Should I agree?
Hidden damage only turns up at the garage, and without a police certificate or a European statement the insurer will not pay. If you do agree, take a written receipt stating the sum, the date, the vehicle details and a description of the damage, and photograph the other driver’s documents.
I am not sure who was at fault. What should I do at the scene?
Do not sign a sketch saying “I admit fault”, do not guess at speeds and distances, and photograph the skid marks, the signs and the markings. Fault is decided by the court on the basis of the vehicle-technical report, which examines whether each driver had a technical opportunity to avoid the collision.
Can the case be handled remotely if I am not in Kyiv?
Yes. Documents are filed through the Electronic Court and we appear at hearings on a warrant; you need to attend in person only at certain investigative actions in a criminal case. Consultations are held by video and you send the documents by messenger.
Contact a road accident lawyer at Svarog
Call as soon as you can: camera footage is overwritten, witnesses forget the details, and a statement given without a lawyer stays in the file for good. In the first conversation we will tell you which provision you are dealing with, what to do today, and what representation will cost.