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Now I can hazard a guess that many of us can see that the roads are getting busier and busier. This can be seen through the amount of traffic jams we sit in either going to and from work, going to the shops, or doing the school runs. We can also see that new roads and by-passes are being built to handle this increase in traffic.

With this obvious increase in traffic comes the inevitable increase in road traffic accidents. At The Injury Lawyers we have many clients that come to us after a road traffic accident, asking us whether they have a claim. These road traffic accidents can range from a head on collision to a car pulling out of a junction on a claimant, or an incident of drink driving. Most clients on approaching us and telling us the accident circumstances ask whether they have a claim. With many types of road traffic accident this can be a more complex task of judging who was at fault in the eyes of the law. At The Injury Lawyers if we think your claim has a 51% chance of success or more we will usually take on the claim. There are some road traffic accidents however where it is less complex to judge whether there is a potential claim – namely rear- end shunts.

Rear – end shunts is a term commonly used by lawyers and refers to a situation when a vehicle drives into the back of another vehicle. In this situation, on assessing the claim, we would say that the person who has been driven into definitely has a claim for compensation (unless there are extenuating circumstances), and we would definitely take your claim on. This is due to the fact that the other driver is clearly at fault in the vast majority of circumstances.
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Whiplash can be a nasty injury to suffer with. But it begs the question – can you claim for a whiplash injury? When will you recover? How much are you entitled to claim for?

As a whiplash specialist, I can answer your questions! (well, as best as I can!)

If you are involved in an accident that was not your fault, you can make a whiplash injury claim. Normally, whiplash occurs after a road accident; caused by the sudden jolting of your neck, stretching your valuable body tissue further than its normal range of movement.
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I think that most I us are realising that the roads are getting busier and busier. I only started driving a few years ago and I can see a marked difference in the number of cars on the road.   With this increase in the volume of traffic comes the potential increase in the amount of road traffic accidents that are taking place. If you have been in a road traffic accident that was not your fault, you may have a claim for compensation.

Road traffic accidents tend to happen most predominantly at traffic meeting spots such as junctions and roundabouts – it is these places where a lot of people may be fighting for space, thus causing a collision, or they are simply not paying the necessary care and attention to the road and fail to notice that traffic is slowing in front of them. Whilst driving in an areas such as large, multi-laned roundabouts, it also becomes apparent those drivers who do not know where they are going and trying to change lanes at the last moment or are too busy looking at their map/sat navto take heed to the traffic around them are a clear danger.

If you have been involved in a road traffic accident it is important to report the accident to police if necessary, who may want to compile a report. It is important to seek medical attention for your injuries; this not only assists with the injuries but allows the medic to place a note in your medical records. Check for witnesses to the accident and if they are present obtain their contact details as they may be able to provide valuable support to any later claim you may have.  Ensure seek the advice of a specialist injury lawyer; many law firms will give a free assessment to your claim whether they are able to take it on or not. It is advisable to seek advice directly from a law firm as there are many referral agents out there wanting your business to simply sell your claim on to a paying law firm rather than the firm who will give you the best service.
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Supermarkets can be a bone of contention for some, whilst for others they are an essential part of life.  Many people can’t stand the thought of the ‘big’ weekly shop due to the hassle of queuing in traffic to get in and out of the shop car park, and the queuing at tills.   This being said however many people like supermarkets as they have everything under one roof, discounts galore, and lots of choice. Whatever your feelings on the supermarket shop I can hazard a guess that many of you would not anticipate having an accident whilst shopping in one; an accident that was not your fault. If you have had an accident whilst in a supermarket that was not your fault then you may have a claim for compensation.

You may think, like many of our client’s first think but later succeed in their claims, that claiming against a supermarket is a David v Goliath sort of situation; by this I mean it is the small individual v the large corporation. This may be true, but the outcome for many is successful and this is why firms like The Injury Lawyers are here – to use our know-how and expertise to help you and support you in getting the a successful result.

There are many potential hazards in supermarkets. These can include a spillage that has been negligently left uncleaned on the floor causing a slip hazard, an item left on the floor negligently causing a trip hazard or a poorly stacked shelf causing an item/items to fall on someone.
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There seems to be more people on the roads than ever before – we always seem to be stuck in a jam whether it’s on our way to work, coming home from work, completing the school runs, or simply going to the shops on a Saturday.  Not only this, but people’s lives in general are more chaotic and busier than ever before; they always have places to be and people to see. These facts put together mean that the roads are more clogged with people who may have too much on their mind and may not paying the necessary care and attention to the road – this in turn causes accidents.

Many of our clients that have been in accidents that were not their fault have successfully made claims for compensation with many of them suffering from whiplash as a result of the accident.

Whiplash is caused by a sudden jolting to the neck – as caused in situations such as road traffic accidents; however, it can also be caused by other events such as falling from a height. This sudden jolting causes the neck to move beyond its normal range of movement: thus causing damage. 
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Supermarkets are one of those places that you either love visiting or dread visiting.  There are many reasons why people would like going to the supermarket: there is the fact that everything is under the one roof, there are discounts galore and there is lots of choice. This being said however, there are also many reasons for the alternate view of these being the queuing at the tills, the queuing to get in and out of the car park, and the general hassle of walking around a large supermarket.

Whatever your views of supermarkets, I could hazard a guess that it is the last thing on your mind that you will have an accident whilst shopping in one that was not your fault.  Now you may think, like many of our clients first think and later succeed with their claims, that claiming against a supermarket is a David v Goliath type situation: i.e. it is the small individual vs. the large corporation. This is why firms like The Injury Lawyers are here – to use our know-how and expertise to help you get the result you need. Whoever the claim is against, whether it be against an individual or a large corporation, the system of claiming is the same, so there should be no hesitancy regarding bringing your claim based on the fact that the defendant is a supermarket.

Supermarkets like anywhere else have a duty to protect their customers as far as is reasonably possible. They must also abide by strict Health and Safety Regulations. Supermarkets should train their staff in order to help keep their customers safe.  This may involve training in replenishing shelving safely, training in how to deal with a spillage, or staff rotas to ensure the floors of aisles are free of items that may cause a hazard at all times.  There are many potential hazards in supermarkets; these being spillages causing a slip hazard, items negligently left on the floor of an aisle causing a trip hazard, or poorly stacked items on shelving falling on top of a person.
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The roads seem to be getting busier and more chaotic than they ever have previously been.   The chaotic nature of the roads, coupled with the fact people seem to be forever rushing somewhere with lots on their minds, means that accidents can be more likely to happen. Driving without the necessary due care and attention can lead to accidents. If you have been involved in an accident and it was not your fault then you may have a claim for compensation.

Many clients who come to us after being in an accident that was not their fault have been diagnosed with, or are suffering from the symptoms of whiplash.

Whiplash is caused by the sudden jolting of the head which results in the tendons and ligaments of the neck being forced to move past their normal range.  Symptoms of whiplash usually occur between 6-12 hours after the accident and then can increase in severity for up to one week (or more). These symptoms can include tenderness, pain and swelling in the neck, or reduced or even no mobility in the neck.  The sufferer may also experience regular headaches which they did not have previous to the accident. The pain in the neck may even radiate to the shoulders and down the back.  More information regarding the symptoms of whiplash can be found at www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Whiplash.
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I think nowadays people are more aware of their rights when it comes to making a personal injury claim. This may be due to an increase of television/radio/web adverts covering personal injury companies and/or the heightened awareness of claiming in general.

However, with this in consideration, many clients when they first approach us here at The Injury Lawyers are unsure whether they have a genuine claim. This is why we write these posts; to inform potential claimants that they may have a proper claim for compensation to make and to not wait until its too late.
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Given our extensive experience in dealing with road accident claims successfully, you come to appreciate more and more just how easy it is to end up in an accident. In fact, I personally notice potential hazards on the roads better than I used to having given advice and taken on the claims of countless victims in road accidents.

I also find that the law of averages, for some unknown reason, often applies to any near misses I’m involved in. I recall a few months ago I was almost a victim of 4 road accidents in one week alone! Well, it’s happened again the other day – I had two near misses in just one night, which really shows how easy it is to become a victim of a road accident!

My experiences the other night were, funnily enough, both similar in circumstance; and it got me thinking about an important area of road regulation: Lanes! Unfortunately, it seems there are still some drivers out there that do not appreciate the importance of changing and merging lanes safely:
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I would hazard a guess that most people are aware that driving without insurance is illegal.  However, we have many clients that come to us at The Injury Lawyers after being hit by an uninsured driver.  It can be a particular point of frustration for an accident victim that the driver who caused them to have an accident has been driving without the insurance; something which most of us have the burden of paying monthly or annually. It has been quoted that on average 23,000 people are injured and 160 people are killed after being involved in an accident with an uninsured driver.

Many of our clients are not only involved in accidents with uninsured drivers, but also with untraced drivers.  This again can be a point of anger and frustration for an accident victim that they have been involved in an accident, that was not their fault, whilst the driver at fault has fled the scene of the accident without the potential claimant being able to gain their contact/insurance details, and without being able to take note of a registration plate.  A recent news article brings this topic of untraced drivers to the forefront as it details an accident which took place on the M3 near Camberley where a man sadly died at the scene whilst another of the cars involved fled the scene.

The first question many of our clients ask after being involved in an accident with an uninsured or untraced driver is: ‘can I still claim?’  The answer to this is ‘yes’. Any claims with uninsured or untraced drivers can be dealt with through the Motor Insurers Bureau, or the MIB as they are more commonly known.  The MIB was formed in 1946 and is funded by motor insurance companies.  Ultimately the MIB is funded through a portion of what we pay for our motor insurance premium. The cost to us can be calculated at between £15 – £30 per policy.
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