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I read today in The Shields Gazette that a police offer is seeking compensation from the Northumbria police after it was alleged that a faulty police vehicle caused Pc Christopher Pearson to be involved in a serious road traffic accident back in August 2006.
It is reported that Pc Pearson lost control of his police car which caused him to hit a kerb and a barrier which caused the police car to roll over a staggering six times. As a result of this major accident, Pc Pearson was lucky to only escape with whiplash, an injury to his back, and his knee. Unfortunately, Pc Pearson was not the only person to be caught up in this incident. His partner, Pc Emma Wilkinson, a passenger in the vehicle, also suffered injuries. Pc Wilkinson has yet to return to work – and, approaching five years after the accident, Pc Pearson has only returned on limited duties.
Pc Pearson contends that a bald tyre and some loose fittings around one of the police cars’ wheels caused him to lose control of the vehicle. The police officers, who were pursuing a suspect at the time, came off the road at a bend. Pc Pearson states that ‘As we started to leave the bend I could see the road straightening up, and at that point in time the vehicle should have been moving in that straight line, but the vehicle itself, rather than going straight, seemed to be going. The front near side at that point then hit the kerb…I could not understand why the vehicle was going in that direction.’ In essence, Pc Pearson suggests that the car was defective, and as such this caused the crash. Northumbria police have so far denied liability.
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Hassle Free Compensation Claiming
I envisage that there are many potential accident claims out there that are going by unclaimed. One reason I can see for this is that people may feel it will be too much hassle to start a claim after what may have been a traumatic accident.
Well, I am here to tell you the opposite (so long as you get the right lawyer). Personal injury claiming with the right lawyer on board can be a simple process with as little hassle for you as possible. At The Injury Lawyers, we find the most stress is caused to clients when they do not know what is happening with their claim; this is why we have a policy of updating our clients every two weeks, whether something has happened or not. This not only makes sure our client is kept in the loop, but also that their claim is checked and worked on, on a regular basis.
When you start a claim there is a high chance it will come under the Pre-action Protocol for Personal Injury. This system encourages claims to settle at the earliest stage possible – i.e. before going to court – thus making the process easier on the Claimant and giving more transparency between both sides at the outset. To comply with this system, a Letter of Claim will be drafted giving a full description of your accident circumstances. Once this letter is sent to the Defendant, the clock begins to run; giving the other side 21 days to acknowledge the letter, and a further three months to investigate (normally through their insurers, solicitors, or claims representatives).
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Specialist Personal Injury Lawyers
I am guessing that after an accident you may feel fragile and not up to the task of choosing which injury lawyer to take your claim. Well, this is why we write these informative blogs – to educate and hopefully relieve the stress of being sat for hours in front of the internet assessing the pro’s and con’s of a multitude of personal injury lawyers.
When looking for a personal injury lawyer, there are a few things that you should look out for:
- 100% of your compensation: you should not accept anything less than your full amount of compensation. Compensation is meant to put you in the position you would have been in had the accident never have happened – if a portion of what you are entitled to is taken away, you are losing out.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) can also be known as Work Related Upper Limb Disorder. It is a general term which can cover a whole range of injuries that are due to repetitive use of a particular part of your body.
RSI’s are reported by as many as 1 in 50 workers around the UK. This large statistic is no wonder when you consider the amount of office based jobs in the UK. It is workers who are predominantly computer based, as well as manual workers, who are most likely to suffer from RSI’s.
There are two types of RSI injury. Type 1 is where a doctor can diagnose a particular injury, such as Bursitis (the inflammation of a fluid sac near a joint on the shoulder, knee or elbow). Type 2 is where a doctor cannot make an accurate diagnosis of a particular condition, but it is plain to see that the patient is suffering and that there may be some swelling.
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Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE as it is known for short, is equipment provided by your employer to protect you against risks to your health and safety. It should be of note however that they should not give you PPE in place of doing something else better to protect you, but maybe more expensive to do – PPE should be used as a last resort where there is no other way to protect the employee.
PPE can come in many forms, shapes and sizes – it may include safety gloves, safety boots, respirators, and safety goggles, depending on the risk to the employee. Employers have a duty to provide this equipment – this duty is encapsulated in regulations within the UK. Employers should not ask you to pay for your PPE or to make any contribution for it at all.
The duties placed on employers goes even further. It is no good an employer giving you PPE and not showing you how to use it – employers should issue proper instruction and training on the use of the PPE. They should also ensure that the PPE is properly maintained and stored so the PPE offers you the fullest protection it can. Employers may have policies and regular check systems in place to ensure that their duties are fully complied with.
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For many, being involved in a road traffic accident is bad enough if you have suffered an injury as well as damage to your car; plus it is just a general hassle having to sort everything out! But for people who have been hit by an uninsured or untraced car, the frustration felt can be made all the more worse. The majority of us pay our car insurance on time and ensure all renewals are up to date – we would also take responsibility for our actions by stopping if we were responsible for a road accident – this is why it can be so frustrating when a small minority do not.
Hopefully, this blog will give you some light at the end of the tunnel. If you have been hit by an uninsured or untraced driver, and you have suffered an injury as a consequence, you may still have a claim through the Motor Insurers Bureau – or MIB as they are more informally known.
The MIB was formed in 1946 and is funded by motor insurance companies. Basically, it is funded through a proportion of our motor insurance premium which the MIB calculate to be around £15 – £30 per policy. We deal with claims through the MIB, handling your claim from start to finish. We may not only handle your claim for compensation for your injuries, but also, if needs be, we can claim for any vehicle repairs that are needed as a result of your accident as well.
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I was doing a regular shop over the weekend at one of my favourite supermarkets for something to have for Sunday dinner. In the end, we decided to go for a Chinese instead! But that’s irrelevant: as I was exiting the store, I suddenly tripped. I didn’t fall – I managed to step back in to stride and didn’t injure myself whatsoever. Before I even looked down to find out what hazard almost had me lying on the floor, my brain had already registered it from the feel of it on my foot at the moment I tripped; a scrunched up section of carpet surrounding a flower display.
The section on the edge of the carpet had, for whatever reason or another, scrunched up and caused a lip – and subsequently a tripping hazard. Having been in this industry for years, I automatically said (quite out loud) “that’s a claim!” The concerned look on the faces of the two staff members nearby as they flattened the carpet back down to remove the hazards was rather priceless!
This whole minor incident did serve to remind me of something – just how easy it is to end up injured whilst out and about doing your daily business. I could have ended up falling on my knees and sustaining considerable damage to the ligaments and tendons inside my knees; I could have broken a bone; I could have knocked my head and been out cold for minutes, or even hours. Ultimately, the ‘what ifs’ of this incident are often the result for many of our injured victims here.
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OK – so you’ve had an accident that wasn’t your fault. Perhaps you were hit from behind by another car, you fell in a supermarket, or you have been injured at work. If the accident wasn’t your fault, you are entitled to make a claim for compensation – and you should be successful.
The problem is – what do you do? You probably know that you should always get a lawyer involved; but with so many of us out there, who on earth do you chose? I can’t make this decision for you, but I can give you some advice on what to look for to make sure you get the best service and 100% compensation guaranteed.
First things first – make sure you do actually get a lawyer. Never deal with the third party (person / company at fault) directly, and never deal with their third party insurers, claims handlers, or solicitors directly either. You must get an injury lawyer to represent you – otherwise, you are flying solo with no one to represent you and look out for your best interests. It’s highly likely you will end up with an under settled claim.
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Nowadays, people are becoming more and more aware of the potential to make a claim for compensation where they have been injured at the hands of a negligent third party. In all likelihood, this is probably due to the fact that there has been an increased campaign by personal injury law firms to attract clients. However, although more people have the knowledge that they may be entitled to compensation, not so many know exactly how the process of making a claim works, and how to go about starting this process. This blog is intended as a short guide to your personal injury claim.
If you have been involved in an accident then in all likelihood your claim will be dealt with under the Pre-Action Protocol for Personal Injury claims. This is a streamlined process for your claim, setting out a series of steps to bring it to an efficient and effective conclusion within the shortest time possible. The first stage is the creation of your Letter of Claim. This outlines all the details of your accident; for instance, the accident itself, the nature of your injuries, and the losses you have suffered as a result of your accident. By way of example, when you ring The Injury Lawyers, we will take all the details we need, leaving no stone unturned, and then go about producing a thorough letter of claim. In this way, the other side, the negligent third party, will know all about your accident and can get on with their investigations straightaway.
Once your Letter of Claim is submitted, the Defendant has a period of 21 days in which to acknowledge it. In most cases they will pass this letter to their Insurer or Solicitor who will investigate your claim on the Defendant’s behalf. A maximum of three months is permitted for investigation of your claim. This is not to say that your claim will take nearly four months from the date the letter of claim was sent, but to say that this is the period of time the law allows the other side to come back to your legal representatives with their position on liability.
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Compensation Advice – Proving Your Claim
People are often concerned that they may not be able to prove their claim and make it successful. People are often worried that the insurance companies or the company / person responsible for the accident will try and do all they can to undermine the accident victim and prevent a payout.
Well, in all honesty; you probably should be worried
In my experience, insurance companies, claims representatives, solicitors, and the company / person responsible for the accident will do all they can to prevent a payout. If they believe they can defend the claim, they will – regardless of whether your claim is genuine or not. Its possible those on the other side will even lie, or bend the truth in order to defend the claim. We’ve seen it happen – and the truth has come out.
So – how do you prove your claim and win the case? Here are some tips on protecting your position and making sure there is no way your genuine claim can be undermined by the other side!
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