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Just the other day I authored an article on speeding and its dangers. And I will be covering the same topic again after reading this heartbreaking story of a young boy killed by a reckless, speeding driver.

According to the Daily Mail (source), a 12 year old boy who beat leukaemia and lived with several disabilities was tragically knocked down by a speeding driver doing almost twice the limit, as he was crossing the road on his bicycle. Steven Atkinson was reportedly born with a cleft palate and curvature of the spine, as well as being deaf in one ear and having an immobile eye. After a 3 year battle, this brave young boy beat leukaemia.
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It’s no secret that speeding leads to accidents. The speed limit is there for a very good reason, and breaking it puts the offender and other road users and pedestrians in serious danger. That’s why it’s against the law, and the consequences are there to prevent people from doing it.

But it appears there can be loopholes in the system; in fact, this next story shows how one woman got away without consequence for a considerable length of time by employing a rather disturbing smoke screen to cover up her road traffic offences. According to the Daily Mail, a company CEO avoided speeding fines by blaming them all on her deceased mother!  It’s an unbelievable story. A leading business lady, turned somewhat amateur scam-artist, evaded points on her license by claiming her dead mother was behind the wheel of the car at the time of the offence.
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Assaults are sadly common in the later evening, especially on alcohol fuelled nights out. So, I, like many of you, I assume, feel a great deal safer with a police presence on the streets ready to deal with any incidents that arise. But who is there to protect us when it’s the police that cause the trouble… ?

Unbelievably, this next story from the Daily Mail (source) is a real example of police brutality! Now, I am in no way having a dig at the police in general here – which is something many people like to do – but the footage on the website is as clear as it can be. According to the report, a police officer is facing jail after he assaulted an off-duty solider, and then lied under oath to cover up his wrongdoing!

Forty year old Special Constable Peter Lightfoot may have got away with it if it wasn’t for that pesky CCTV camera! The footage on the site clearly shows the officer striking 24 year old Mark Aspinall whilst rubbing his face on the concrete in the road. Take a look for yourself – the camera never lies; even if the police do!
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Drink driving is a topic I have often covered in the past; primarily because I am strongly against the idea of anyone thinking it is safe to get behind the wheel of a car whilst over the legal limit. We all know the dangers, and it’s no secret that consuming alcohol impairs your judgement, and you simply are not capable to drive safely when you are over the limit. The law is there for this very good reason!

So not only does it continue to astound me when I hear about stories of drink driving related incidents, but is vexes me even more when the story is just utterly ridiculous – with potential consequences for disaster…

According to sources from The Mirror (source), a father with his three children in the back of the car failed to notice his vehicle was on fire because he was drunk behind the wheel! It’s absolutely crazy! Why a person would get behind the wheel whilst intoxicated is a conundrum enough; but when your three children are in the car with you, it’s nothing but shameful.
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Motorcycle accidents can be common and disastrous. Motorists must always ensure to take extra care to look out for motorcyclists; but it’s not just other road users that can cause a rider injuries.

You can pursue a claim for compensation if you have an accident, or sustain an injury, from a defect in the road surface. Generally, cars can get away with driving over potholes or divots, usually unscathed. But a motorcyclist hitting a pothole or a road defect is an entirely different situation…

Rather obviously, a defect in the road could lead to a motorcyclist coming off of their bike – which could end up being disastrous on a busy road. I’ve said it before, and I shall say it again; riders don’t enjoy the added safety a car offers. The injuries sustained could be serious, especially on a busy road with cars around. If you’re lucky enough to manage to stay on your bike, you could still end up being injured. The defect could shake the bike to the extent that the rider could end up injured from the impact.
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Britain’s roads are busy, and our skies are polluted – it’s an overwhelming argument in favour of greener, leaner transport. The government in recent years has done a fair bit to try and inspire this, with cycling lanes and toll roads. But the issue remains that motorists and cyclists have never quite seen eye to eye…

Let’s face it; motorists are wound up by slow cyclists, often leaving them impatient and careless. In the absence of taking the right amount of due care and attention, an accident with a cyclist is a common occurrence. But cyclists can help themselves – and many cyclists do. There is legislation in place to improve the safety of cyclists on our roads. It’s good to see public figures as advocates of such safety; but it’s bizarre to see it go hypocritically wrong:
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We all love to go to the fairground; the thrill of the fast rides and the party atmosphere; it’s a lot of fun! Rides are scary enough, but when they become life threatening, it’s no longer a laughing matter.

Rides must undergo stringent testing and inspection to ensure they are safe to use, given the dangers they could potentially cause. So it’s never nice to hear when a child is injured on a ride where negligence could be involved.

According to sources from The Mirror (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/07/22/tot-thrown-from-ride-in-fair-horror-115875-22431048/), a young boy was thrown from a fairground ride after a flying shoe knocked him unconscious, resulting in him slipping from his safety restraints, plummeting to the ground.
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Road accidents are common enough, and accidents involving motorcycles are also very common. Drivers must ensure they are careful on the roads, taking extra care to look out for motorcycles as they can be hard to spot. And sadly, given that a rider does not have the protection a motor car offers, motorcycle accidents can often be tragic.

Just last night an accident occurred in my local area involving a motorcycle with a pillion passenger and another vehicle; the full circumstances of which are currently unknown. The accident occurred on the A6 connecting road between Alfreton and Shirland yesterday evening, with police blocking off access ways leading to the road; one of which was where I was driving when I became aware of the accident. Sources from www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk have confirmed that the rider was tragically killed, and his pillion passenger sustained a broken leg, after a collision with a Mazda on the A61 Chesterfield Road at around 19:15 last night.
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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – road accidents are so common; they happen all the time. And we at The Injury Lawyers are used to taking on huge amounts of claims on a daily basis, and helping those who have been the victims of legal expense scams, or had their claim captured by the third party insurers. And with road accidents being so common, there is a huge array of arguments about what sort of people are better drivers, and what the best way to drive is.

So, a little off the usual topic here; according to sources from The Mirror (source), one in three men are scared by their partners driving! It’s an age old debate- who are the better drivers? Men or women? It’s a two horse race, of which people’s side is usually dictated by their own sex!

The report goes on to say that the survey results indicate that many men find themselves pressing down on imaginary controls in the foot well in response to their partner braking too late. Some even grip the sides of their seats, with one in ten claiming they have had to grab the steering wheel to avoid an accident! Remarkable results…
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We at The Injury Lawyers write numerous blogs daily, covering an array of stories we find related to personal injury, and of course providing you with the useful information you need when asking the key questions about personal injury claims. As a daily writer, I come across some very unusual stories in the press. And this is another example of an out of the ordinary case of potential negligence that, as a male, is a very concerning to read…

According to sources from The Independent (source), an investigation is underway after a police officer accidentally discharged a Taser weapon in to a man’s groin! How this has happened, I don’t know! The 50,000 volt weapon narrowly missed 46 year old Peter Cox’s genitals after the officer appeared to have inadvertently fired the weapon whilst lowering it. A shocking story – with absolutely no pun intended at all!

Mr Cox has since sought legal advice (and rightly so) after he was pulled over by the officer on suspicion of driving the BMW he was in without insurance. Mr Cox, as any law abiding citizen would, pulled the vehicle to the side of the road near a friend’s house after noticing he was being followed by the patrol car. The officer proceeded to exit the police vehicle and aim the weapon towards him. The officer reportedly pointed the weapon at him for just a few seconds before lowering it and discharging the weapon, hitting his groin and ankle. He subsequently fell to the ground in agony and was later treated by paramedics at the scene.
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