When out on the roads all road users have a duty of care to show to one another. This means that they should never do anything that puts the health and safety of other people using the road at risk. All motorists on the roads should always look out for road users such as cyclists, bikers and pedestrians. These road users are most vulnerable if they do become involved in a road traffic accident.

Bikers are often not seen by other motorists or motorists say that they simply appeared out of no-where. Before turning off it is important that as a motorist you check all your mirrors to make sure that there are no bikers approaching behind you. As a biker there a number of things you should do to ensure your safety on the roads.

You should:

• Make sure that you are wearing the essential motorcycle gear. This will help protect your upper and lower body if you do become involved in a road traffic accident.
• Buy and wear a safety helmet, as a motorcyclist it is essential that you wear a helmet as this is most likely to protect you in the unfortunate event that you do become involved in an accident. Some helmets can be a bit pricey but investing in a high quality on could be one of the best choices you make this year.
• Make sure your vehicle is well lit at all times, this will allow other motorist to spot you as early as possible.
• Abide by the speed limits; a lot of people see motorbikes as speed demons. Abiding by the speed limit will cut the chances of you becoming involved in a road traffic accident.

If both motorists and motorcyclists pay the due care and attention that is asked of them and everyone works together to ensure safety is perceived on the roads then the likeliness of any kind of accident occurring will decrease.  

If you have been involved in a road traffic accident whilst out on the roads that weren’t your fault then you may be able to make an injury compensation claim.

Before many jobs in the workplace are carried out something that is called as risk check is done. This is where the job waiting to be done is seen as low, medium or high risk. If it is found to be medium or high risk staff responsible for conducting the task may then have to re-think certain things, or change the way it is done to make that task safer.

No matter what job role you have it is likely that you will be required to work at height at some point in you career. Working at height doesn’t necessarily mean working up a pair of ladders or on a building site. If a receptionist is asked to change a light bulb or uses a chair to reach for something high up, that is also classed as working at height. Whatever job it is you do it is important that it is done safely.

If you become involved in an accident when carrying out such a job you may be able to make an injury compensation claim. However there are a number of things you would need to do prior to making a claim. If you suffered injury on site you may need to fill out an accident report form with your employer. It is then a good idea to seek medical attention because medics will then be able to diagnose the type of injury you have suffered and give you the advice you need on recovering from that injury.

After the accident you may consider making an injury compensation claim so it is a good idea to try and write down as much about the accident as you can remember. You should ask yourself questions such as were you alone at the time or the accident? Should you have been working alone? Were there any circumstances that you felt were unsafe about the job you were doing?

All of the above will help when making an injury compensation claim. If you would like more information on making a claim or free legal advice then contact the Injury Lawyers.

To make returning to work that little more daunting for those of us doing so, some of us woke to find a thin blanket of snow on the ground. Thankfully on most roads across South Yorkshire the snow had only managed to settle on the footpaths and side roads so the main roads stayed clear. However according to the weather forecast it is just a mild taster of the weather that we are expected to witness over the next month as the big freeze returns. In order to combat that hopefully our councils will be more than prepared and take to the roads early with grit to make sure that we don’t suffer the same effects as we did in early December.

Drivers using the roads over this next month should be prepared for the worst of the weather and take precautions just in case their vehicle breaks down. Drivers should make sure that they travel on a full tank of petrol, in the unlikely event that they become stranded or stuck in a traffic jam they will need the heater on their vehicle to keep warm. They should also carry a winter emergency kit with them at all times,  the kit should include a blanket to keep them warm if they do become stranded, a number of food and water supplies and a small first aid kit. Along with warm clothing and suitable winter boots just in case they have to walk a long distance in the cold. Hopefully the snow won’t have the impact that it did in December but it’s always best to be prepared.

In the instance that you do become involved in such a situation you should always carry the number of a breakdown company on you, because you never know when you might need their assistance. In order to prevent such a thing happening to you this winter you should also make sure that the necessary checks are carried out on your vehicle. You should make sure that your vehicles have above the legal amount of wheel trim on their tyres, and that it has enough oil and water. You should also ensure that any mechanical problems you have become aware of are looked at to avoid your vehicle breaking down in such unfortunate weather conditions.

Snow and ice on the roads can create some of the worst driving conditions and make road traffic accidents occurring much more possible. If you become involved in a road traffic accident this winter and it wasn’t your fault then you may be able to make an injury compensation claim. Prior to doing so you should try to gather as much information about the accident together as possible. For example the name and contact details of the other party involved in the accident, along with their insurance details. You should also have any information about the injuries you sustained at hand, this will give the law firm handling your claim a better idea of the type of claim they are dealing with.

In order to do this those in charge of the event will need to carry out a number of risk assessments, along with moving any equipment that they think could be a hazard. Any sport that people take part in should have a qualified instructor or coach to assist those taking part. In the unlikely event that someone did become injured they could be the first person made of aware of this.

If you or your child has took part in such an activity and suffered an injury whilst doing so they may be able to make an injury compensation claim. In order for that claim to be successful the accident must have been caused by the negligence of somebody else, leading to the injuries they have suffered. After such an accident the first thing to do would be to report the incident to a member of staff on site. They would then be able to assess any injuries suffered and carry out the necessary actions in attending to them.
 

When attending the scene of an accident at such a facility it is likely that staff on site will be required to fill out an accident report form with you. The form will consist of the details about the accident, how and why it happened along with any injuries you have sustained.

Like with any accident if the injuries you’ve suffered caused you distress or pain you should seek medical attention. Medics will then be able to assess your injuries and give you any necessary treatment in helping you recover.

Like with any injury compensation claim you would need to gather information together about the accident before making a claim. It is a good idea to write down everything you remember about the accident. You should also take photos of any visible injuries you have, or of the scene of the accident. When seeking medical attention you should make them aware of how you suffered your injuries, they should then make a note of this on your medical records.

All of the above will act in your favour as evidence against the other party if at a later date you decide to make an injury compensation claim. If you would like free legal advice on pursuing a claim in the future then contact the Injury Lawyers.

What a lot of us don’t realise is that a whiplash injury isn’t necessarily an immediate injury, but it is an aftermath of an accident. It can take anything between six hours to a couple of days for a lot of us to realise that we have suffered such an injury.

If you have been involved in an accident, there are a number of symptoms to look out for that point to a whiplash injury:

• Stiffness and pain in and round the neck
• Difficulty turning your neck to one side
• Stiffness in the shoulders or around the arms
• Headaches and dizziness

If you feel any of the above symptoms after an accident you should either visit your local GP or your hospital and get a professional to look over the injuries. They will then be able to tell you whether it is a whiplash injury that you are suffering from. If it is a whiplash injury, they may advise that you need to take time off work and rest at home to recover. They may also provide you with pain relief drugs depending on the seriousness of your injury.

Whiplash injuries can have a number of effects on the person suffering them, depending on how serious the whiplash injury is. It may affect you from carrying out your everyday tasks such as house work, spending time with your children, and even driving your car. Having time off work to recover from an injury may result in a loss of earnings for you and your family.

If you have suffered a whiplash injury in an accident that wasn’t your fault, then you might be able to make an injury compensation claim. For more information on making a claim, contact the Injury Lawyers for free and friendly whiplash advice.

In some cases, food poisoning is of course unpleasant and the symptoms can be mild. In these types of cases, the bug usually lasts no more than 24 hours and we feel much better when it is out of our system - with the lesson learned never to eat there again! However, there are more extreme cases of food poisoning that can often cause the person suffering the disease to become extremely; ill and in some cases place them in hospital.

Food poisoning is caused by bacteria, toxins, or viruses that have contaminated food or drink. All food should be prepared in conditions that abide by stringent health and safety regulations.

There was a story in the news a few months ago about a school boy whom tragically died just weeks after he ate a contaminated school meal that left him battling the e-coli bug. The company responsible for supplying the school meals had let raw meat come into contact with cooked meat, causing the foods to be contaminated. This caused one of the biggest E-coli outbreaks Britain has ever seen, with over 150 pupils coming into contact with the contaminated meat.

If you fear that you may be suffering from food poisoning, the symptoms to look out for are:

• Diarrhoea
• Vomiting
• Stomach cramps
• Temperature increase
• Loss of appetite

If you are suffering from food poisoning, you should seek medical attention if the symptoms persist. You should also ensure that you drink plenty of water to prevent your body from becoming dehydrated.

Unfortunately, we cannot always prevent food poisoning; however, there are precautions we can carry out to keep the possibility of us contaminating it to a minimum. We should always make sure that the food we are going to eat is cooked thoroughly, and we should not re-heat food more than once. If we are freezing or storing food, we should always make sure the conditions we are storing it in are hygienic. We should always wash our hands before eating or preparing food to prevent the spread of germs.

If you have suffered food poisoning and you suspect that it originated whilst eating out at a food establishment, you should get checked out by your GP and report the case to the local environmental health authority. You can usually get in contact with them through your local council.

You may be entitled to make an injury compensation claim if the symptoms do persist.

Believe it or not - supermarket accidents are actually quite common. In fact, they are one of the most common types of claims that we deal with at the Injury Lawyers. With dozens of trolleys rushing around in a small space, along with shelves stacked with goods, a spillage is always possible - it really isn’t much of a surprise that accidents happen.

In order to combat such hazards, supermarkets employers have to carry out regular checks around the store to keep the possibility of an accident occurring to a minimum. Staff will need to check for any spillages and make sure that shelves are stacked safely to avoid the risk of any products falling over. In order for the supermarket to keep up to date with such checks, staff will be required to sign a sheet every time they carry out their checks.

Unfortunately, in the gap between their checks, a spillage can happen – if a spillage isn’t reported, the risk of somebody becoming injured increases. If you do become involved in an accident when visiting your local supermarket, you may be able to make an injury compensation claim. It is likely your claim will be successful if the supermarket could have prevented the accident from happening.

There are many ways in which the supermarket could have prevented an accident - it may be that those responsible for carrying out their checks didn’t do them properly, or that they cleaned up a spillage but failed to put down a wet floor warning sign. Whatever the reason, if the supermarkets actions caused the accident, then it is we at The Injury Lawyers can make your claim successful!

After any accident, you should inform staff on site who will be able to attend the scene of the accident and make sure the hazard is cleared immediately, and assist you with your injuries. Staff might also need to fill out an accident report form with you; this is where they will write the details of the accident and any injuries you have suffered. If you have been involved in a supermarket accident, it is a good idea to take the contact details of any witnesses to the accident, as this will come in useful if you later decide to make an injury compensation claim.

If you have suffered injury due to the accident you should also seek medical attention - doctors will then be able to look over any injuries you have suffered. When speaking to your doctor you should make them aware of how you injuries were caused; they will then make a note of this in your medical records.

For more information on making an injury compensation claim, contact the Injury lawyers for free and friendly advice for your supermarket accident claim.

Some of us may think that a repetitive strain injury is actually quite rare; they are more popular than you’d think, and definitely more popular than the economy would like. Such injuries cost the economy an average of £300million a year because of lost working hours. Like a lot of other injuries, there are procedures both you and your employer can carry out to prevent you and other staff suffering from an RSI.

Your employer can buy equipment such as wrist supports that you can use when sat at the computer - this takes some of the pressure away from the muscles. Your employer can also reduce the risk of you suffering such an injury by ensuring that you take regular breaks. This will give the muscles time to rest, and decreases the chances of an injury being caused.

A repetitive strain injury can take years to make itself known, and over time, the pain from such an injury can worsen. Such an injury may begin with shooting pains in the affected area, and over time, as the affected muscle is used, the pain can become more and more intense.

Symptoms of an RSI

•         Pain or tenderness in your muscles or joints
•         Stiffness
•         Throbbing
•         Tingling or numbness
•         Weakness
•         Cramp

If you feel any of the above symptoms you should seek medical attention - your GP will then be able to diagnose if you are suffering from an RSI. If you are, they will then be able to write a letter to your employer explaining the injury you are suffering from. They may write you a medical note informing your employer that you will need some rest from work to recover from such an injury.

If your injury was suffered by poor equipment provided in the work place, then you may be able to make an injury compensation claim. For more information about making a claim, contact the Injury Lawyers for free and friendly legal advice.

Hopefully the gift you sent or received will have been what they wanted and brought them happiness around this wonderful time of year. Unfortunately, (here’s the depressing bit) not all products will have brought happiness - in fact, in some cases, some of them may have actually being defective. A defective product comes in many forms and often causes the person using the product to suffer an injury.

In some cases the company that supplied the product will realise that it is unsafe before anyone becomes injured, and will conduct what is called a “product recall”. This is where all the products that are seen to be harmful are collected back in by the supplier to prevent anyone from suffering such an injury.

In Britain we have strict health and safety regulations that prevent any products that do not abide by these being sold in stores to the public. However, in rare cases, some products slip though the net and those using them find them to be faulty. If you have suffered injury due to using a faulty product you may be able to make an injury compensation claim.

If the product caused the consumer harm when using it, then you may be able to make a claim for negligence against the manufacturer or even the supplier of the product. Toyota recently had to recall a number of their vehicles as they were faulty and could have put motorist’s lives at risk.  

There are various types of accidents that can be caused by a defective product. It may be that a pair of high heels somebody purchased snapped beneath their feet, causing them to break their ankle. Or that the breaks on a bicycle you purchased for either you or your child failed to work, causing an injury.

If you would like more information on making an injury compensation claim, contact the Injury Lawyers for free and friendly legal advice.

A fall on a pavement may cause us to break a bone or hit our head, causing us to suffer a head injury. It could have a number of other effects such as causing us to suffer a whiplash injury. A whiplash injury is caused by anything which forces our neck to jolt either sideways, backwards, or forwards.

A fall on the pavement can be caused by a number of things - it may be that we have had a series of bad weather which has caused the pavements to become slippery. Or it may be that those responsible for maintaining the pavement have failed to do so, leaving cracks and holes – all potential neglgience for the council.

Hazardous pavements often have broken kerbs, poor quality pavement surfaces, or uneven pavement slabs. Either of these sets the scene for an accident to take place. If you notice a pavement that you find to be hazardous, you should report this to your local council. When doing so, sending a letter explaining why the pavement is dangerous, along with any necessary measurements and photos, will make the council aware of such a problem.

The previous weather conditions that Britain has seen have caused havoc on both roads and pavements across the country. With the snow and icy conditions Britain has been faced with, the country has been left with thousands of new potholes. Potholes are a nightmare for any road user and can be extremely dangerous. However, with the latest funding cuts, the council are going to find it hard tackling the potholes on our roads.

If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from a trip or fall due to the condition of the pavement, you may be able to make an injury compensation claim. Prior to doing so, it is a good idea that you seek medical attention - your GP will then be able to diagnose any injuries you have suffered and make a note of them in your medical records.

For your claim to be successful you will need evidence of any injuries your have suffered and proof of the defect. It is a good idea to return to the scene after the accident and take photos of the defective pavement, and take photos of any visible injuries you have suffered. For more information on making an injury compensation, claim contact the Injury Lawyers for free and friendly specialist advice.