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It’s been grey and miserable all weekend where I live; and it’s no better on the return to work on Monday morning. I’ve heard there has been a bit of snow around as well – all this just as I was acclimatising to the slightly warmer temperatures of 5- 8 degree Celsius following the big freeze we have had over the festive period.

The look and feel of the miserable and wet weather isn’t the only thing people need to be concerned with – driving conditions need to be at the forefront of people’s minds on a grey day like today. If you are involved in accident that wasn’t your fault, the weather is not a party to blame. If another vehicle has collided with yours because they failed to appreciate the requirement for an increased stopping distance in wet weather, or they came screeching around a corner or a roundabout too fast and have skidded due to the damp surface or the roads, they are still to blame.

Wet weather is not an excuse one can use to escape being liable to compensate the victim of a road accident. If anything, people should be driving with a great deal more care, and more accidents should be avoided. So if you are the victim – you can make a claim!
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The roads seem to be getting busier all the time.  Not only this, but people’s lives seem to be getting forever busier – people are working harder and trying to still fit in all their usual activities such as the food shopping, hobbies, and catching up with friends. It therefore is no wonder that when the roads are clogged up with drivers with too much on their mind, accidents happen.

A common injury from road traffic accidents is whiplash. This is caused when the neck is jolted to cause movements past the usual range.  Whiplash can not only be felt in road traffic accidents, but also from falls from a height – anything which has this jolting affect.

The symptoms of whiplash are varied. At first you may wonder what the pain is attributable to, as the symptoms don’t usually occur immediately after an accident, but maybe in the following 6-12hours.  The symptoms can then increase in severity for up to a week.  Now I can hear you saying –‘what are these symptoms’.  Many people think whiplash is just in the neck area – and yes, it is correct that the neck can be painful and stiff – but it may also swell and there may be limited or even no mobility in the neck area.  Whiplash can also lead to headaches. In fact, many of our clients report regular migraines as a result of their accident.  The pain in the neck can also radiate down in to the back and the shoulders, and even down in to your arms.
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We all remember school. It is either with fond memories of friends and fun or with memories which we have tried to forget of getting in to trouble and hating homework.

Whatever these memories, we would hope that our children enjoy their time at school and come home safe every night.  We put our trust in schools to protect our children from harm, and on the most part they do.   However, at The Injury Lawyers, we do get many worried parents coming to us to bring claims on behalf of their child.

Now, you may think ‘how can I bring a claim on behalf of my child’. Well, there is a system in place whereby the person bringing the claim is known as a Litigation Friend and takes control of the claim on behalf of the child claimant.  The full in’s and out’s of this system need not be the topic of this blog, and further advice on the subject can be obtained from our team here at The Injury Lawyers (should you require it).
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I read over the weekend that a man has received over £1million in compensation having sustained serious head injuries after being involved in a road traffic accident.  The Oxford Mail reports that Mr Sutton was the passenger in a vehicle which collided with another vehicle back in 2006.  As such, Mr Sutton suffered memory problems, blackouts, depression, and epileptic fits after sustaining a serious head injury.  He subsequently found himself unable to work and has since struggled to find an alternative job.  This recent payout of over a million pounds from the driver’s insurance company can be seen as an attempt to place Mr Sutton in the position he would have been had he not been involved in the road traffic accident and had he not ended up seriously injured.

Road traffic accidents are sadly an everyday occurrence.  It may be a minor crash on our roads where someone gets a small dent in their car, or it may be a much more serious crash where someone ends up very badly hurt.  If you have been involved in a road traffic accident which is not your fault, and you have subsequently suffered an injury, you may be entitled to compensation.  Like Mr Sutton, you should seek expert legal advice from a fully qualified injury lawyer.  However, receiving over a million pounds is in no way a given.  The amount of compensation you receive wholly depends on your injuries, how long these injuries last, and any further losses you have suffered as a direct result of your accident.  In this case Mr Sutton received over a million pounds because of the severity and longevity of his injuries, and the fact that he will need to pay for care for the rest of his life, and also because his future earnings ability has been significantly diminished.

If you have been unlucky enough to have been caught up in a road traffic accident and suffered a personal injury as a result, it is vital that you seek professional advice. At The Injury Lawyers our legal advice is free and so you have absolutely nothing to lose in seeking this independent and quality advice we give.  The Injury Lawyers should be your first port of call for a high quality and speedy service – we are experts in the field of Road Traffic Accidents and will walk you through every stage of your claim, ensuring you obtain the maximum compensation you deserve.

Can I claim for my accident?

After suffering an accident that was not your fault, you may feel fragile and confused.  You may not know what options are available and what these options would cost to you to pursue.  This is why our team here at The Injury Lawyers feel it is necessary to write these blogs – we want to make you confident about your rights to claim for compensation. You may feel that due to your accident happening in a big supermarket for instance that you have no chance in succeeding with a possible claim. Our dedicated team at The Injury Lawyers are here to help – your lawyers are there to fight your corner for your claim.

At The Injury Lawyers we have clients come to us with a whole range of accidents. A few examples of the types of personal injury claims we deal with:

1. Road Traffic Accidents – these are extremely common claims and can range from rear end shunts to head on collisions.  Even if the other driver is uninsured or untraced we can direct your claim to the Motor Insurance Bureau, who will pay out any compensation you are entitled to have.

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It’s a difficult question to answer on its own. There is really only one way to value a claim for compensation – with a specialist expert injury lawyer on your side, and a good quality medical report. Any other method is based on guesswork, statistics, or estimation.

For example – I can tell you that if you have suffered a minor whiplash injury after a road accident, you could claim around £2,500. In fact, you could be entitled to up to £5,000. For a moderate whiplash injury, you could be entitled to up to around £15,000. If you are suffering from a severe whiplash injury, we could get you even more.

How do I know this? The figures are based on statistics, averages, and the JSB Guidelines that are used to assist solicitors during the process of valuing your claim. But realistically, it all depends on your injuries and whether you have a quality injury lawyer representing you for the case.
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We all love to go on a good night out, whether it be to the pub on a Friday night after work, out for a dance with our friends, or for a meal.  We all look forward to this free time where we can socialise, relax, and let our hair down.

It is the last thought on our mind that we may suffer an accident which causes us an injury.  There are many potential hazards on a night out – these can include spillages negligently left uncleaned on the floor, which cause a slip hazard, broken glass negligently left on the floor causing a laceration to the foot or exacerbating a fall injury, or it may be that you have suffered an injury from the venue being filled over capacity.  This is by no means an exhaustive list; if you have suffered any accident that was not your fault then you may have a claim for compensation.

Any venue for a night out, whether it’s a pub, a bar, a restaurant or a night club, has a duty to protect it’s customer as far as is reasonably possible.
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It seems the roads are forever getting busier – we always seem to be in a traffic jam, whether it be on the school runs, rush hours going to and from work, or just to go shopping on a Saturday.  Coupled with this, people’s lives are busier and more hectic; everyone is rushing to get somewhere.  These 2 factors together mean that roads are more clogged with people who may be driving without the necessary care and attention, which can lead to more accidents on the roads.

These accidents may be the result of a collision of vehicles head on, from a side road, or perhaps the most common – the rear end shunt (being hit from behind).  It is in road accidents whereby whiplash is most likely to occur.  Whiplash can also occur from a fall from a height, or a knock to the head – for example, whilst participating in sports.

Whiplash is caused by a sudden jolt to the head which causes the neck to move beyond its normal range of movement. This then stretches tendons, ligaments and muscles in the neck causing the symptoms of whiplash.
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Today I have come across a horrific story involving an 11 year old girl who has had her thigh impaled by spiked chain fencing.  The Herts Advertiser reports that Maisie was on her way home having returned a book to her local library when she tripped and fell and ended up impaling her thigh on a spike.  As a result, the unfortunate Maisie has been left with scar, having had to have eight stitches, and continues to suffer from traumatic nightmares which revisit the accident.  As her GP said, had Maisie have landed on her head or stomach, the results could have been much, much worse.  Maisie, as you can now imagine, is conscious of wearing skirts at school because these scan expose her scarring, and unfortunately other children have a tendency to stare at things a little bit different.

Maisie’s mother is also now seeking compensation on her behalf.  Because Maisie is 11 years old, and therefore cannot be classed as an adult, she is required to have someone to act on her behalf, also known as a Litigation Friend, or to wait until she is 18 to make her claim.  Her mother is seeking compensation from the council because of the injuries suffered by her daughter.  It would appear that it is not clear exactly why the spiked railings were there in the first place, because they seem to just protect a patch of grass.  She therefore wants justification of their use and compensation to place Maisie in the position she would have been in had she not have had the accident and suffered the injuries she did.  At this point in time the local council have not responded and the case continues.

If you, or somebody you know, has had an accident whilst they have been walking about a town or city centre and have subsequently sustained an injury, it may be that they could make a claim for compensation.  Your local council is responsible for all the highways, paths and common areas in your town and city, and owes you a duty of care to ensure that you do not suffer an injury when going about your everyday business.  Here at The Injury Lawyers we have pursued thousands of claims against our clients’ local councils and have been able to obtain substantial sums in compensation for them.  If you feel that you have a potential claim then please ensure you get in contact with a quality personal injury lawyer who can provide you with some free legal advice.

We have many clients here at The Injury lawyers who come to us after an accident and ask us which losses they are entitled to claim for.  The time after an accident can be confusing as to how to proceed with a claim, and you may be in a fragile state due to events you have experienced.  This is why at The Injury Lawyers we write these blogs to inform and educate you about a range of aspects surrounding a personal injury claim.

There are many losses which can be claimed as a result of an accident which was not your fault.  At the outset of any claim, any good personal injury lawyer, upon verifying you do have a claim, should be explaining all the types of losses you are entitled to. 

Here are some of the more common losses you are entitled to claim for as part of your case:
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