With the roads seemingly becoming busier and busier it is no surprise that road traffic accidents are also on the increase. Once thing that can make the injustice of being involved in a road traffic accident that was not your fault even worse is when the other driver either reports he / she has no insurance, or he / she simply drives away.  This is a point of frustration for many of our clients here at The Injury Lawyers and very often we are approached by potential claimants who simply do not know if they will be able to bring a claim in these types of situations. It is estimated that approximately 23,000 people are injured and 160 killed as a result of an accident with an uninsured vehicle

Our answer to all these questions is usually YES. Many people are unaware that they can bring a claim when the other driver involved in an accident is uninsured or untraced; th claim can be brought with the Motor Insurers Bureau, or the MIB as they are known in short. This organisation was set up in 1946 and is funded by motor insurance companies which ultimately means they are funded by our motor insurance premiums – this has an estimated cost to us of between £15 – £30 per policy.

If you have been involved in an accident with an insured or untraced vehicle and it was not your fault, you may have a claim for compensation. If you have been involved in a road traffic accident it is important to report the incident to the police as they may need to compile a report; the MIB often request such details. It is important to check for witnesses, and if present, to obtain their contact details as they may well be able to provide valuable evidence for your claim. Seek medical attention for your injuries as this not only assists with the injury but also allows the medic to place a note in your medical records. Lastly seek advice from a specialist injury lawyer as they will be able to act on your behalf with the MIB on a no win no fee basis (always read the no win no fee agreement thoroughly before signing).

BBC News has reported that police forces across the country have paid out nearly £800,000 in compensation in the last three years to victims of dog bites by police dogs.  Astonishingly, one single dog bite victim received almost £50,000 alone in compensation.  The Greater Manchester Police faced the greatest payout, nearly twice as much as any other police force, with approximately £180,000 handed out in compensation.  In second place were the Metropolitan police with around £95,000 in compensation paid out.  The total compensation awarded compensated 2,725 suspects, 196 members of the police forces, and 155 members of the public who were bitten by police dogs.  The West Midlands police were accountable for the most amount of dog bite incidents, with 644 over the last three years.

Although these figures seem high, I imagine most of you would agree, and as the police themselves have suggested, that dogs are an important resource in the fight against crime.  That said, any incident which sees an innocent member of the public bitten by a police dog is far from satisfactory and must be avoided.  As the BBC News reports, one victim, Brian Kiddel, has described his dog bit as ‘the most frightening experience I ever had in my life’.  It simply is a position none of us would like to be in, nor would we want anyone to be in.  It is therefore welcome news that the Associations of Chief Police Officers Assistant Chief Constable Nick Ingram has stated that although ‘Police dogs are a valuable and essential resource which, when used effectively, make a valuable contribution to reducing and detecting crime and disorder and building safer communities’, the police are trying to ensure that ‘the training, deployment and management of dogs is constantly improved, devised and developed’.

Unfortunately it is not just police dogs that happen to bite innocent people.  In recent times there has been a substantial increase in the number of people being bitten by dogs throughout the United Kingdom.  Currently we have in place the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 which has banned certain, dangerous, categories of dogs, and it is well set out that it is the responsibility of the dog handler to ensure the safety of members of the public when the dog is unleashed.  That said, dog bites do still occur and it is important that if you have been unlucky enough to have been a victim of a dog bite, you do seek the advice of a professional injury lawyer who can advise you on a potential claim for compensation.
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I think many people feel that the process of claiming for an injury will be lots of hassle and will be too complicated and time consuming. If you choose the wrong lawyer, this may turn out to be a correct assumption. Our team here at The Injury Lawyers, however, aim to make this process much quicker, simpler, and hassle free to the injured victim.

At The Injury Lawyers our philosophy is that if you have suffered an accident and it was not your fault you are entitled to make a claim; and so you should be as you have suffered injury and what may be extensive financial losses due to the negligence of another person / company. We make this process hassle free by having a policy to update our clients every two weeks which takes the stress away from the client, allowing them to rest assured their claim is being dealt with as efficiently as possible.  This ensures our clients are updated and the claim is worked on a least every 2 weeks. At The Injury Lawyers we also ensure to return calls / e-mails on the same day or within 24 hours of receipt; thus again displaying high service levels we give to our clients.

On first approaching a law firm you should ensure that any initial advice given is free of charge – this is always the case at The Injury Lawyers. Just by enquiring about your claim you have nothing to lose.
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People can have mixed feelings regarding work. They can love their work or they can dread it – when work only becomes a means to making up the cost of living.  Whatever your feelings regarding work I can hazard a guess that it is the last thought on your mind that you will suffer an accident at work which was not your fault.

Many clients come to us after having gone through the trauma of having, what maybe, a serious accident at work. More often than not they are worried about claiming against their employer due to potential repercussions. We always advise clients that employers could get into a lot of trouble if they treated you any differently due to you claiming against them.  Also, that is why firms like us here at The Injury Lawyers are here – to act on your behalf within the claim.

If you suffer an accident at work that was not your fault then you may have a claim for compensation. After suffering an accident at work it is important to report it to another member of staff as an accident book record needs to be completed. You should also seek medical attention for your injuries; this not only assists with your injuries but also allows the medical professional to make a note in your medical records.  Check for any witnesses to the accident as they may be able to provide valuable support to any later claim you may have. Lastly, you should seek the advice of a specialist personal injury lawyer. This is best done as soon as possible after the accident whilst the events are still fresh in your mind; many sorts of cases have a 3 year limitation period, whereby after 3 years from the accident date you may not be able to bring your claim.
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Whiplash is a common injury which many clients approach us with after having experienced the trauma of a road accident. Having said this, however, whiplash can be experienced from accidents such as a fall. Basically, whiplash is caused by a sudden jolting of the head which causes your neck to move past its normal range of movement. So any type of accident which causes this jolting can cause whiplash.

Symptoms

The symptoms of whiplash can include:

• Tenderness, pain or stiffness to the neck
• Swelling to the neck
• Lack or even no mobility of the neck
• Headaches

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You’ve probably seen the adverts in the past where people have slipped on a wet floor and caused themselves an injury. The idea of slipping on a dangerous floor has even become the punch line of many jokes for those that either don’t understand or misconceive the concept of claiming for compensation.

If you have slipped over and injured yourself in a premises owned by someone else, you may have a claim for compensation.

Ultimately, an injury from a slipping accident is not a nice thing to endure. In fact, it can be the cause of serious injury – which is why the rules and regulations are in place to ensure owners take proper responsibility for their premises.
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It seems that many more people are becoming aware of their rights when it comes to claiming for a personal injury.  This may be due to the increased amount of advertisements on television and radio heightening awareness for people who have had an accident that was not their fault.

With the above in consideration, many clients still come to us entirely unsure and unconfident in the fact they have a valid personal injury claim for compensation.

Claims for personal injury can stem from all sorts of different accidents and types of personal injury; I have listed some of these below:
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You may see many personal injury referral agents or law firms advertising personal injury claims stemming from road traffic accidents, and so you are probably aware that if you suffer from a road traffic accident arising either driving in a car or being driven that you may have a claim for compensation.  However, what you may not have realised is that if you have been a passenger on a bus or coach and suffered a personal injury, you may also have a claim for compensation.

The personal injury as mentioned above could have happened in any number of ways whilst being a passenger on a bus or coach. Firstly, and maybe most obviously, is that the bus or coach may have been in a general road traffic accident. This may be due to fault on the bus driver’s part or on another motorist, adverse weather conditions, or a mechanical fault with either the bus or another vehicle. A second reason could be that you have fallen in the gangway of a bus; this could be due to the bus jerking suddenly to a stop, due to tripping over on an item negligently left in the path, or due to a spillage negligently left uncleaned.

If you have had an accident on a bus or coach due to any of the reasons above then you may have a claim for compensation. It must be of note that the above list is not exhaustive and if you have any accident which was not your fault then you may have a claim.
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BBC News has reported that a police sergeant has been awarded nearly £400,000 in compensation having suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident.  It is said that Mr Steve Ball, who was on duty at the time, was involved in a head-on collision with another motorbike back in 2006.  He spent nearly two weeks in hospital having had to have surgery after losing the use of the right side of his body.  Despite his operations, Mr Ball still suffers from the effects of the accident, that is, he is still in a lot of pain and has restricted movement.  In fact, Mr Ball has had to retire early due to the severity of his injuries.

It just goes to show that your day can be totally different from how you imagined it would be.  The negligence of another motorcyclist has jeopardised Mr Ball’s career and life.  It will simply never be the same again.  If you have similarly had a life-changing experience as a result of the negligence of another person then you are more than likely due compensation to help place you back in the position you would have been had you not have been injured.  That said, even if your injuries are not as bad as Mr Ball’s you may still be entitled to make a claim for compensation; though the amount of compensation you receive will likely be significantly less.  Simply put, if you have been involved in an accident through no fault of your own and as a result you have been injured, no matter how serious, you have a potential claim.  The key thing is that you have been injured; you cannot make a claim if you have no injury. This means that if you have been injured and you may be somewhat to blame, you may still have a claim for compensation.  It is therefore best to get in touch with a professional injury lawyer with years and years of experience in dealing with these sorts of claims who can advise you as to whether you potentially can win compensation.

At The Injury Lawyers we do our utmost to make sure you receive the proper advice that you deserve, and should you have a claim, we will do all we can for you to make sure that you get the maximum compensation you deserve.  In fact, we go further than most other law firms and make sure that you always receive 100% of this compensation.  We always make it clear that we will never take any of your compensation away from you, and put this in writing in the agreement; it is all yours.

Road traffic accidents can happen anywhere on our roads at any time. We put our trust in others on the road to drive safely; thus keeping other road users safe. However, as I was reminded on my way to work this morning – this is not always the case. On the M1 today (Thursday 9^th March 2011) at around junction 29, a lorry had crashed through the central reservation colliding with a number of cars in the process. As a consequence five people were taken to hospital; two of which with serious injuries.

The above incident serves to make us all the more aware of the dangers of driving on the motorway.

Many people can love motorway driving due to the ease and the increased speed you can get to places. However, on the flip-side, many people can dread motorway driving as it is a type of driving which requires increased concentration, due to the high speeds involved, and even a heightened experience of driving in order to become more confident within the motorway environment.
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