Road Accidents & Dangerous Driving

The news headlines consistently cover stories of tragic road accidents. This next one from the Daily Mail is a particularly horrifying one, which many of you may have seen in the press recently.

According to reports from the Daily Mail, amongst many other press offices, (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314227/Drink-driving-nurse-sentenced-8-years-killing-grandmother.html), a drunk driver has been sentenced to 8 years after killing a grandmother and injuring two young children when she drove on to a pavement whilst on her way to an alcoholism counselling session. It’s an absolute tragedy of a story – the report advises that 59 year old Judy De Gelas was killed from the impact, and her five year old granddaughter Libby was dragged across the road under the car bumper, suffering a fractured skull and a chest wound. Her 9 year old grandson Joshua also suffered a fractured skull.
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New Research Aaims To Reduce Dog Attacks Against Children

Thousands of people are attacked by domestic dogs every year and a recent survey has revealed that 43% of school children have been bitten by a dog.

These statistics have led to new research by scientists at Lincoln University and following this, scientists have warned that the reason behind most attacks on children is because they are unable to recognize the signs of a dog becoming aggressive. Tests have revealed that children up to the age of six believe that a dog is ‘smiling’ when baring its teeth and that children only look at a dog’s mouth and ignore other signs of aggression that adults can clearly see.

The full results of the research will be revealed and discussed at the World Safety Conference taking place in London. Dr Kerstin Meints, one of the Psychologists involved in the study said: “When we probed a bit further, the children thought the dogs were happy and you could give them a hug and a kiss. That’s quite scary, obviously. The message needs to get out to parents, so they know their children can misunderstand dogs’ faces.”
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Road Safety on the Rise?

Road safety is a continuously debated subject – we are always thinking of new ways to make our roads safer and reduce accidents, which is all great to hear. And there are more ideas on the horizon; including one outlined in sources from the BBC suggesting that restrictions on newly qualified drivers could reduce road accidents.

According to the source (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11376809), a new proposed scheme would see newly qualified drivers having to adhere to night time curfews and restrictions on carrying passengers of a similar age, according to research from Cardiff University. It is suggested that a “graduate driving license” for drivers aged 17 – 19 could potentially save more than 200 lives and result in 1,700 fewer serious injuries each year. This is quite a statement.

The research suggests that one in five new drivers’ crash within the first 6 months of passing their test. This statistic doesn’t surprise me – it’s a common fact that you only really learn to drive once you have passed your test and you are out there on the roads by yourself. I’m sure many of you will agree that it’s an entirely different ball game; and many young drivers are known to be a little overexcited on the roads, if you get what I mean! The research indicates that some kind of a “graduate driving license” would reduce many accidents.
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Injury Lawyers: Golf Course Accidents

Golf is a game that requires excellent concentration and skill, you need to know where to hit the ball, and how hard to hit it to get it to where you want it to go. When playing golf, even the most talented of players can make mistakes.

With golfers swinging their clubs left, right and centre there is bound to be some sort of accidents. They are hitting the ball in all directions, a near miss shot may result in someone’s car window been put through or a nearby green house. They may even swing the club and accidently hit someone with it, causing them injury.

There is now a new type of insurance cover for golfers; however this is an optional insurance cover. The chances are that not all golfers will be covered by this. If you do become involved in an accident on a golf course you may still be able to claim compensation. For example if you’re a spectator at a golf tour and one of the players misjudges their shot and hits you on the head with a ball then you may be able to make a compensation claim.
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The World of Claiming – It can all be a bit Crazy!

Personal Injury – together with “No Win, No Fee”, “Ambulance Chasing Lawyers”, and “tripping up kerbs” is a common phrase in today’s society. And we at The Injury Lawyers are of course fully aware that our work is often misunderstood and joked about!

So, I thought I’d do a little article on the way it works – let’s face it, the press love a good “head shaker” story. In fact, the inspiration for my blog today comes from a story in the Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313432/David-Cameron-plans-tear-mad-health-safety-regulations.html) this week about the PM’s promise to tear up health and safety regulations that have become a “music hall joke.”

According to the report, Cameron will “declare war on the mushrooming compensation culture”, with regulations on police, schools, and ambulance workers being lifted to encourage more common sense decisions, without the threat of a claim being made against them.
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Injury Lawyers: The Highway Code

The Highway Code is a series of rules created for all road uses in England, Scotland and Wales. The reading and understanding of it is essential for everyone including the most vulnerable road users:

• Pedestrians, especially children, older or disabled people
• Cyclists
• Motorcyclists
• Horse riders
• Drivers

The Highway Code is something all road users must abide by and if they fail to do so, some of the requirements can be a criminal offence and lead to prosecution. Knowing of the rules in the Highway Code is essential, especially for those driving on the roads, to avoid road traffic accidents (RTA).
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Coffee Machine Explodes

Seven people were injured when an industrial sized coffee machine exploded inside a supermarket cafe. Shoppers and staff were sent diving to the floor after the powerful blast ripped through the Sainsbury’s branch at lunchtime. Emergency crews from the police, fire and ambulance services rushed to the scene and six people were taken to hospital, some suffering from head injuries.

The store, in Famborough, Hants, was also evacuated while fire fighters dealt with the incident and paramedics treated the injured. A Health and Safety Executive investigation was expected to be launched today, to why the large drinks machine exploded. The incident happened yesterday lunch time, as shoppers sat down to eat their lunch at the supermarket. Six victims, including both staff members and customers, were taken to Frimley Park Hospital.
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Patient Failed by Medical Staff Has Months to Live

Last week reports were in the news about Angela Skeffington, 43, a former warehouse worker and mother of three who was told she had just weeks to live after Doctors had failed to trace signs of cancer. Today another report has been released about a mum-of-three who has been given just months to live after doctors failed to diagnose her cancer during 20 examinations.

Catherine Watkins, 55, was failed repeatedly by medical staff in Southend, Essex. Despite losing two stone and being in so much pain that she could hardly move, Doctors refused to give her a CT scan. Mrs Watkins, who also suffers from diabetes, was told by Doctors that she had gallstones. She started suffering from abdominal pain in December and had been rushed to the A&E department of Southend Hospital four times in the past nine months.

After endless arguments by her daughter, Mrs Watkins was finally given a CT scan last month. This is when Medical staff discovered Catherine had advanced liver and pancreatic cancer. Southend University Hospital is currently investigating the cancer patient’s treatment.
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Girl, 8, Falls to Her Death

No matter what precautions we take, accidents are still going to happen. We can make people more aware of possible dangers, but that isn’t always the case. This comes after a story in the Daily Mail about an eight year old girl who plunged about 150ft from a tower block as she tried to talk to a friend. 

Leanne Minick, was leaning out of her bedroom window when she tumbled forward out of her flat on the 15^th floor and landed on the pavement below.

Her mother Claire Sicberras and her partner, Ian Whitmore, were quickly on the scene and have been left heartbroken by her death. A neighbour and friend of the family told the Daily Mail that Leanne had been trying to talk to a friend on the ground when she fell from the flat in East London.

She told the paper: “I heard shouting outside, looked out of my window and saw Leanne’s mum and dad downstairs. Leanne fell from her bedroom window. She was leaning out talking to somebody, got too confident and fell.”
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13 People Confirmed Dead After Plane Crash

Although air travel is the safest means of transport, with the least amount of accidents, it doesn’t mean it’s invincible. At least 13 people have been confirmed dead after a plane owned by state-run airline Conviasa crashed in south Venezuela on Monday.

A report with the Daily Mail said that the plane was carrying 51 people when it crashed shortly after take-off in the eastern city of Puerto Ordaz. The plane went down on the property of the state-run Sidor steel foundry.

An emergency official told Venezuelan that rescue workers were helping with injured victims, however he did not say how many had survived. Garces said the plane was heading to Margarita Island when it crashed for reasons that were unclear. Forty-three passengers and four crew members were aboard the plane when it crashed.  
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