Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there – going to sit down at a family event or a public function only to completely miss the target, landing in what can only be described as an embarrassed lump on the floor. However, what is more embarrassing is being the victim in this situation when you were not to blame at all.
It is not uncommon when a situation such as this occurs for people to be too embarrassed to even contemplate what legal action may be open to them in seeking a claim for compensation.
It is therefore our responsibility to advise you of your rights, away from the hoards of laughter from your supposed loved ones and colleagues at falling to the ground, and advise you in situations where you may have a very good claim for compensation for any injuries you have suffered from.
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One of the most compelling things about having your own pet, be it dog, cat, or rabbit, is that they each have their own fascinating personalities and characteristics. Devout pet lovers will agree that one of the best reasons for getting a pet is witnessing their growth and how they change and develop overt time; and whilst this is an exciting prospect, we cannot help but be weary of the fact that as we can never fully understand the minds of our animal companions, and it is our duty to ensure that at all times we protect both ourselves and others from any potential dangers which may be caused by our pets.
To ensure this responsibility is carried out from the legal perspective, The Animals Act 1971 has been introduced to ensure that individuals who, through their own negligence in their failure to adequately monitor and discipline their pets, are accountable for any injuries they cause to another innocent person.
The act itself is rather broad to take into account the responsibilities owners of particular animals have. A good example of this is that farmers are under a legal obligation under the act to ensure that their livestock, covering anything from cows, horses and pigs, are kept safe and constrained from causing danger to the general public; i.e. they must make sure their animals do not escape and end up causing a road accident by running in to the road, or kick out at an innocent pedestrian on the side of a road.
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Every year, as Christmas draws nearer, my inner child is always awakened with the first fall of snow. Let’s be honest; our country has never been renowned for its white Christmases. Having said this, over recent years Mother Nature has attempted to give us some snowy cheer, and whilst we all love a bit of snow, the harsh reality is that claims for personal injury that are caused directly by snow go on the rise.
In a working environment, it is important to realise that employers are under a legal obligation to provide working conditions which are safe and free form reasonable danger for their employees. Keeping this in mind when thinking of snow, ice, and harsh wintry conditions, from a legal perspective, you have to take in to account employees wading through the snow and bringing water in to the workplace from the soles of their footwear.
Now, your employer has the duty of care to ensure that all walkways are safe and free of hazards; something that needs to be reviewed even more closely during harsh weather conditions. They must ensure that all floors are kept suitable to walk on- cornering off any unsuitable areas with warning signs and deterrents, or perhaps ensue to dry and water or moisture from the floor as quickly as possible. In light of this, if you have had an accident at work as a result of poor weather conditions or otherwise, and you believe that your employer failed to provide adequate warning or deterrent to prevent your accident, there is a high possibility that you may be able to claim for compensation.
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‘Patience is a virtue’- this motto in my opinion has been done to death over recent years. I do believe that that there are times in our lives where we simply either cannot afford to be patient, or our patience is taken for granted; one particular area where this is most potent is in the world of personal injury.
For most of the unfortunate people who find themselves to be a victim of negligence, their main aim is to not only recover compensation for their pain, but also to receive closure of the situation as quickly as they can. With this in mind and to ensure that the legal procedure for claims is kept relatively straightforward, there are certain things we can do to speed up the process when the other side or their insurers delay the process by failing to adhere to the rules in place. One such avenue is a “Pre Action Disclosure Application.”
The nature behind a Pre Action Disclosure Application is relatively straightforward to follow. When a defendant fails to comply to the compulsory time limit for injury claims of 3 months and 21 days (to investigate your accident and injuries), we are well within our rights to make a request to the court which forces the Defendants side to disclose any documentation or evidence they may have that could be used as vital evidence in determining whether you have a winning claim or not.
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As Christmas is just around the corner, we all need to be in tip top condition for braving the great outdoors. Getting battered by merciless cold gales, paired with endless queues in shops has somewhat taken away the seasonal jolliness I enjoyed as a kid. Putting my Ebenezer mindset away for a brief moment, Christmas is easily stressful enough without having to worry about receiving an injury of any kind – particularly if this injury is through work!
One of perhaps the simplest and indeed easiest ways to injure yourself at work is through handling equipment or objects dangerously. Your back, although collectively one of the strongest parts of your body as the core, is worryingly easy to injure through lifting and manoeuvring heavy or awkward objects. It is important to realise that when lifting an object, it is not necessarily its weight which predominantly injures, but how you attempt to lift it as well.
Through awareness of how easy an injury such as this is to sustain, it has now become a priority for employers to follow strict rules and procedure highlighted under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 when employing individuals and introducing them to the workplace.
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