Peter Kidd’s Review of Cutting Edge’s : Scams, Claims & Compensation Claims

Peter Kidd’s Review of Cutting Edge’s : Scams, Claims & Compensation Claims

Peter Kidd’s Review of Cutting Edge: Scams, Claims and Compensation Claims, broadcast on Channel Four Thursday 25 February 2010.

The latest in a long line of instalments in Channel Four’s often controversial “Cutting Edge” Series of claims saw the programme tackle the role of Personal Injury Lawyers. The programme centred on Steve Ireland a personal injury solicitor in Liverpool and his attitude towards the process of making a personal injury claim. 

The programme’s portrayal was unfortunately bias in that confirmed many of the untrue clichés regarding the Personal Injury profession. For example one of the case studies was of a child who had fractured his toe whilst playing football at school in an uneven grate. Although the narrator did not specifically state this was a spurious claim, with its accent on the fact that the child claimant was looking to spend his money on a car and new football boots it was clear that the programme was showing that potential claimants were simply interested in bringing a claim to make a quick thousand pounds – making it clear what its makers were trying to say.

The other side of the argument was presented in the form of Lambeth Council Worker Jim a former police officer who was charged with defending so called “slip trip claims” against his local authority. Jim was shown in a positive light and again the sentiments of the programme makers were clear with his claim that local authorities spend millions per year paying out compensation claims which in turn hits the pocket of council tax payers. This was clearly meant to push viewers over to one side of the fence.

Other potential claimants considered were a mother who fell over on a school field whilst participating in a parent’s race on her son’s sports day and wanted to sue the school and someone who had a heavy tree branch land on her back when sitting in a park. Although these cases raised some interesting questions as to assessing liability in personal injury claims, I was disappointed that the programme makers could not show some more straightforward liability claims to balance things out and show clients with genuinely serious injuries (who are in the majority with personal injury claims) who are entitled to the compensation they deserve.