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Sport is big part of a lot of people’s lives.  Football is probably England’s most popular sport – on a Sunday in particular, a lot of people go to their local playing fields to compete against each other in regional league matches.  Even if people aren’t playing sport, they are watching it or reading about it.  There are numerous channels on television which are dedicated to sport, and even the channels we find on freeview for example have a substantial content which focuses on sport or showing sporting events.  In the newspapers, the back pages are dedicated to sport, and some papers even have dedicated sporting pullout pages. 

There can be little doubt that sport is massive in England, and there are a lot of people who are in someway involved in sport; whether that it through direct participation or alternatively a keen interest.

For those who play sport, you will be all too familiar with the fact that injuries do occur while you are participating.  Some are minor and go away quickly, whilst others are worse and may require you to have a number of weeks, or even months on the ‘sidelines’.  In most cases these injuries will occur by chance and will not involve an interaction with any third party.  But: what if you suffer an injury because of someone else?  Even if this injury is caused by accident, can you still make a claim for compensation?
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Many clients that approach The Injury Lawyers know that they may be entitled to compensation. This may be due to a heightened exposure for personal injury claiming through advertisements and marketing ploys. This being said, many clients do not know the time scales and processes involved in a >personal injury claim, and many are reluctant to begin a claim without this understanding. This blog, therefore, aims to set out a brief overview of the system.

Many of the clients that have claims at The Injury Lawyers do so under the Pre-action Protocol for Personal Injury. This protocol dictates how many types of personal injury claims should be dealt with. In order to comply with this protocol, a Letter of Claim should be produced by your lawyer – this sets out all the circumstance of your accident, and the negligence involved on the part of the Defendant.
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This is a common question I am asked by new clients I have provided advice to after they have confirmed they are happy for us to deal with their claims. In all honesty, it’s a difficult question to answer.

There is somewhat of a misconception amongst people that all claims go to court. This isn’t the case – in fact, most claims don’t get anywhere near court. So, never be put off from claiming because you are worried about having to stand up in court and give evidence in front of a judge and a jury.
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Whiplash to many can be a condition which is overlooked or undermined, as it is not so plain to see as a broken bone or a cut. At The Injury Lawyers, our view is quite the opposite as we have first hand experience through many of our clients who report the devastation it has had on their personal, domestic, and professional lives.

Symptoms and Causes of Whiplash

Whiplash is a common injury we see here at The Injury Lawyers – normally resulting from road traffic accidents. They can, however, occur from a whole range of accidents, such as falls from a height, or slips on a wet floor. Basically, anything which can cause a sudden jolt to your head which in turn causes your neck to move beyond its normal range could cause you to have a whiplash injury.
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Road accident claiming is becoming one of the more common types of personal injury claims we see here at The Injury Lawyers. With the roads seemingly becoming busier all the time, it seems no wonder that this is the case. This is one of the reasons why the system for dealing with personal injury claiming for accidents that happen after 30^th April 2010 has changed. The changes have served to make the system faster, simpler, and more stream-lined. This means that you should have an answer as to whether the other side admit fault after 15 days of submitting your Claim Notification Form; this is in stark contrast to the nearly 4 month time period of the old system.

Injuries

Many road accident victims suffer from whiplash as a result of their road accident.  Symptoms of whiplash usually became apparent around 12 – 24 hours after the accident, and then can steadily increase in severity. The condition can also be extremely unpredictable – a doctor may say the symptoms will resolve in 6 months, but then in 8 months you are still in pain – this is why advice from a specialist personal injury lawyer can be so crucial.  At The Injury Lawyers, we understand what a frustrating and painful condition this can be, as well as what a limiting effect it can have on your life. This is why we aim to offer early medical intervention to our clients. We are able to arrange physiotherapy, chiropractic, and osteopathic treatment for injury symptoms; this treatment is payable by the other side if you win, and is covered by insurance if you lose.
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I read today in the Great Yarmouth Mercury that a lady has been awarded over £300,000 in compensation after having to have her leg amputated as a result of a road traffic accident.  It is reported that 27-year-old Emma Woolnough was hit by a motor vehicle driven by an elderly gentlemen.  It is suggested that the negligent driver accidentally used the accelerator instead of the break pedal and ended up mounting the pavement on which Miss Woolnough was a pedestrian. 

Miss Woolnough, who was making her way to work, was forced against a wall as a result of the accident and severely injured her leg.  Consequently, Miss Woolnough suffered horrific injuries and has gone through three unsuccessful operations to save her leg.  Miss Woolnough has also had more surgery and has sustained psychological injuries as a result of the accident.  The negligent driver has since been given a suspended sentence for dangerous driving, fined £2,000.00, and banned from driving for three years.

If you have had a similar experience or indeed have been involved in any kind of road traffic accident which you do not believe to be your fault, or even if you only consider yourself only partly to blame, then it is likely that you may deserve compensation for the injuries you have subsequently sustained. 
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I have quite a lengthy commute from home to work every day – when I say lengthy I mean approximately a 70 mile round trip! So I can say that I witness a fair few near misses with accidents and also unfortunately see many not so near misses. Going up and down the M1 every day means that I can see the aftermath of some serious accidents.

We hope that our car journey goes safely and uneventfully; and on the most part they do. At The Injury Lawyers however we do have contact with many people who have been involved in road accidents that have been through no fault of their own and have caused them injury.

There are many do’s and dont’s when it comes to road traffic accidents and claiming for compensation:
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I read this evening in the Edinburgh News that an oil worker has been awarded £160,000 in compensation having been involved in an accident whilst working on an oil rig in the North Sea. 

It is reported that Mr Martin Brand had to have two of his fingers partially amputated following his hand being crushed when he was cleaning some pipes and some hydraulic slips unexpectedly moved back in May 2006.  Most of this compensation was awarded on the basis that Mr Brand was disadvantaged on the open labour market.  So what do we mean by this?
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Having an accident at work can be a traumatic event. Whether you have a love for your work and relish the idea of going in everyday, or whether you dislike your work to the point where you dread it – I can hazard a guess that no-one anticipates having an accident that was not their fault.

A first point to note – I say first as it can be the first point a client mentions when they report a potential claim against their employer to us – is that an employer is not allowed to treat you any differently due to you placing a claim against them. At The Injury Lawyers we know and appreciate how mentally challenging it can be to begin a claim against your employer –  but that is why we are here to act on your behalf. Employers should have insurance policies in place to cover them for these types of scenarios and many employers would be happy to compensate an employee who has had an accident which was the fault of the employer.

In beginning a claim against your employer you should seek out a specialist personal injury lawyer from whom you can gain advice – this should be done as soon as possible while the events are fresh in your mind. Many law firms like The Injury Lawyers will give free claim assessments so there is nothing to lose by simply trying and finding out some information.
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As Spring is now upon us it seems a good time to assess the state of our public highways and the possible hazards which they may pose.

After a harsh winter of snow and frost many of our public highways and roads have been left in a terrible state. It is the action of the freezing and expanding of the ice between cracks on the roads and pavements that causes these increased tripping hazards in the springtime.

In saying the above, it is advisable to get the advice of a specialist personal injury solicitor in dealing with trip claims; especially where they involve the local council as the potential defendant. At The Injury Lawyers we do not like giving false hope and we like to be as honest as possible with our blog readers – so we advise that council claims can be difficult claims to deal with. This being said however, it should not put you off the idea of bringing a potential claim, but simply make you place your claim with a firm who has experience in dealing with these types of cases.
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