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Road accidents are common enough – luckily, when we’re contained within a large chunk of metal surrounded by advanced crumple points and air bags, most car accident victims can escape with minor injuries at low speeds – unless of course you are a pedestrian or the impact was at high speed on a motorway. But – what about motorcyclists?

It’s no secret that accidents involving motorcycles can end up in absolute tragedy. There is plenty of government advertising instructing drivers to Think Bike!, and look, look, and look again when coming out of junctions, changing lanes, or turning in to side roads. Motorcycles are far harder to spot on the roads, particularly at night. Every driver should be continuously vigilant for motorcyclists at all times. If you spot one, you should keep them in mind all the time.

Unfortunately, it’s been common knowledge for years that you are far more likely to be involved in an accident as a motorcyclist – in fact, previous statistics have accounted for seven times more likely. So the general lessons to be learnt are for drivers to ensure to be far more aware of motorcyclists, and for motorcyclists to take extra care on the roads.
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It seems we are forever in a traffic jam – we sit in traffic going to and from work and even heading to the shop on a Saturday.  This is all symptomatic of people’s lives being busier and generally more people having cars.  Today, despite the heavy cost, many households may have up to three cars sat in the driveway.

In view of the above it is no surprise that road traffic accidents are on the increase.  Many of the victims of these accidents are then left with a whiplash injury.  If you are one of these such victims and the accident was not your fault, then you may have a claim for compensation.

Whiplash can occur from a road traffic collision. It may even occur as a result of a fall from a height.  It is caused when the head is suddenly and violently jolted away from the body.
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We all love supermarket shopping as the prices are cheaper, there are discounts galore, and everything is all under one roof.  We can see how supermarkets are becoming the fast answer to a busier lifestyle with less and less money to spend.

So we may go to the supermarket with all this in mind, but the farthest thing from our mind is that we will have an accident within our supermarket which was not our fault, and end up injured.

Now there are many potential hazards in supermarkets – for example spillages causing slip hazards, items left in the aisle causing trip hazards, or poorly stacked items falling from the shelves on to us.
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Road traffic accidents are unfortunately almost an inevitable part of everyday life. Whether it is a minor collision on our roads causing a little dent in their car, or whether it is far more serious and someone is horrendously injured, road traffic accidents occur all too often. 

If you have been involved in a road traffic accident and you have sustained an injury as a result you may be entitled to claim for road traffic accident compensation. 
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Personal injury claims are on the increase.  This is partly due to the no win, no fee system making it financially easier for claimants to proceed with their claims.  One of the most frequently asked questions at The Injury Lawyers hear is – Can I claim for x or y? If the answer is yes, it can normally follow – Well, I don’t know where the receipt is for that!

In view of the above, and to resolve any confusion, we at The Injury Lawyers feel the need to explain the possible items of loss, which you may not have even considered, that can be claimed from the other side if they admit fault.

The first and probably one of the most important items of loss a claimant may be able to claim back is loss of earnings.  Now, if you have been off work due to your accident, this time off work may be able to be claimed back. To support this claim normally around 13 weeks of pay slips are needed in proof of this loss.  Even if you have not taken time off work unpaid, but taken them as holidays, these, depending on your employer, may be able to be claimed back. The money to buy them back can be claimed as part of your losses.
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Some of you reading this blog may have heard of the term ‘Third Party Capture’.  For those of you who have not, or are unsure what this term means exactly, here is a brief explanation.

Third Party Capture is when the Insurer of the person with whom you have had an accident investigates and tries to settle your claim for compensation directly with you.  That is, the Insurer settles your claim solely with you and does not afford you the opportunity to obtain independent legal advice.  So, for example, the Insurer will provide you with compensation direct.  Right, so what’s the problem with that?  Well, quite simply, the likelihood is that you will end up undercompensated.  You will not receive the full compensation that you deserve.  You have not had legal advice and may therefore not be aware of what your claim for compensation will be worth.  It may be that your claim is worth £10,000 but the Insurer has attempted to settle your claim for £5,000 – because you have not had legal advice, you think £5,000 sounds like a lot of money and agree to settle your claim.  However, the reality is that in effect you have lost out on £5,000.00.

The only positive thing that I can possibly think of that comes from Third Party Capture is that your claim will be settled faster than it would be with legal intervention.  But is this few weeks or few months really worth £5,000 in lost compensation?  I think many would agree that this is not the case.  At The Injury Lawyers we offer free legal advice and take your claim on a genuine no win no fee agreement.  That means that you never pay us for our services; we recover our fees from the other side.  It is therefore a far better idea to get in touch with a quality injury lawyer like us at The Injury Lawyers to fight your corner and ensure that you receive the maximum compensation you deserve.  It’s a free, fast, and reliable way to ensure that you get what you deserve.  Please remember that the other side’s insurers really only have one thing in mind, and that is to make sure they lose the least amount of money possible.
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School complaints can often be a bit of a touchy subject – it’s not nice to think that we would ever have to claim from a public institution serving the generations of tomorrow. But, as I would like to think many of you would agree, health and safety is of even more importance in schools; particularly at infant and primary level.

As specialist personal injury lawyers, we rarely hear of an accident we haven’t already got experience in – so a great deal of our new claims come as no surprise. But when you hear of a child being injured through the schools negligence, it always feels different. I often ask myself: “how has an institution catering for the education of such young people allowed something like this to happen?” Naturally, the parents and guardians of the child claims we take on normally express their frustration and concerns to us quite honestly and openly; it’s a parent’s natural instinct to safeguard their children.

In infant and primary schools, health and safety should be at the forefront of every staff member’s minds. So, if your child has been injured at school, when can you make a claim for compensation?
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Everyone enjoys going on a night out.  It may be for a meal with your loved one, for a good dance with your friends, or for a few after work drinks down the pub.  Whatever your night out, you would hope that you have a good time, relax, socialise and let your hair down. The furthest thought from your mind is that you may have an accident causing an injury.

There are many possible injuries which can be caused on a night out.  If we take the example of a night club – there may be spillages on the floor causing a slip hazard, or even items such as broken glass on the floor which could compound a fall injury making it worse, or could cause a laceration to the foot.  Even if someone else slips on a spillage which has negligently been left untreated, and pulls you down with them, you may still have a claim for compensation.

Like anywhere else, pubs, bars, nightclubs and restaurants have to abide by strict Health and Safety Regulations in order to keep their customers safe from harm.  You may think that the accident was your fault as you had consumed too much alcohol – but before you come to this conclusion you have nothing to lose by calling a solicitor who can advise you, free of charge, whether you have a claim.
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How can a child bring a claim on their own? Can someone deal with my claim for me?  These are just a couple of the questions we face at The injury Lawyers on a daily basis.  So what are the answers? Well, as you might expect in the case of a child, they are unable to undertake legal proceedings of their own accord.  After all, the child may be three, four or five years old, and could not possibly be expected to do so.  The law recognises this and understands that those under the age of 18 do not have the ‘legal capacity’ to bring claims on their own.  It is therefore necessary where the person who has sustained an injury is under the age of 18 that they have what is called a ‘Litigation Friend’.  In other words a responsible adult who can act on their behalf.  In the case of children, this will usually be the child’s parent or guardian.  Equally, this could be a social worker or another adult.  Importantly, this is also applicable to those who, by way of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, are deemed to be a ‘protected party’ and would similarly require a Litigation Friend.

Okay, but what if I am an adult myself, but I am frequently in and out of hospital as a result of my injuries and therefore cannot frequently deal with my claim?  It is not that you do not wish to deal with your claim yourself; it is simply that it is not practicable to do so.  Or maybe you are elderly or feel too distressed by your accident and do not wish to deal with your claim yourself. This is not a problem either.  Like a child, you can nominate a Litigation Friend, or simply have another person with the written authority to act on your behalf.

At The Injury Lawyers, we always advise that those nominated to be a Claimant’s Litigation Friend should have the very best interests of the Claimant at heart.  The Litigation Friend must be someone who the Claimant can put their wholehearted trust in.  They must be reliable and able to address all issues raised, just as you would.  Naturally, the Litigation Friend must not have a conflict of interest with the Claimant.
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Today’s roads are busier than ever.  We may sit in traffic jams in rush hour going to work, in rush hour coming home from work, and even going to the shops on a lazy Saturday afternoon.  It seems we are always going the wrong way against the traffic!

It is the state of the roads being so busy which means road traffic accidents are simply becoming more common.  It may be a case of someone rushing and speeding which causes a collision, or it may be a matter of someone just not paying the necessary care and attention to the road, causing them to run into the back of your car.  Whatever the reason or type of accident, it may cause you to have an injury known as whiplash.

Whiplash can occur as a result of a car accident, or even from falling from a height.  It is an extremely common injury.  It can be mild in nature with symptoms being less acute for a short period of time, or it can be more serious with extreme pain for the sufferer, maybe lasting years.
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