I read today in The Shields Gazette that a police offer is seeking compensation from the Northumbria police after it was alleged that a faulty police vehicle caused Pc Christopher Pearson to be involved in a serious road traffic accident back in August 2006.
It is reported that Pc Pearson lost control of his police car which caused him to hit a kerb and a barrier which caused the police car to roll over a staggering six times. As a result of this major accident, Pc Pearson was lucky to only escape with whiplash, an injury to his back, and his knee. Unfortunately, Pc Pearson was not the only person to be caught up in this incident. His partner, Pc Emma Wilkinson, a passenger in the vehicle, also suffered injuries. Pc Wilkinson has yet to return to work – and, approaching five years after the accident, Pc Pearson has only returned on limited duties.
Pc Pearson contends that a bald tyre and some loose fittings around one of the police cars’ wheels caused him to lose control of the vehicle. The police officers, who were pursuing a suspect at the time, came off the road at a bend. Pc Pearson states that ‘As we started to leave the bend I could see the road straightening up, and at that point in time the vehicle should have been moving in that straight line, but the vehicle itself, rather than going straight, seemed to be going. The front near side at that point then hit the kerb…I could not understand why the vehicle was going in that direction.’ In essence, Pc Pearson suggests that the car was defective, and as such this caused the crash. Northumbria police have so far denied liability.
This is an interesting case – and it is not totally surprising that it has not been concluded five years later. However, if you have been involved in a Road Traffic Accident, and sustained injury through no fault of your own, and therefore consider that you may be entitled to compensation, please do not be put off by this case. Most Road Traffic Accident claims can in fact be settled within a few months. For example, if you have been involved in a quite straightforward crash and have relatively minor injuries, then with the new Pre-Action Protocol for Low Value Personal Injury Claims in Road Traffic Accident introduced on the 30th April 2010, your claim can be sorted pretty fast. All that needs to be done is for a Claims Notification Form to be submitted, this outlines your accident details, then the other side have a period of 15 days to admit or deny liability – where liability is admitted, a medical report can be compiled, and offers to settle made to the other side. All in whole, it could be just a matter of months in which your claim is settled.
So, if you believe that you may be entitled to compensation for the injuries you suffered in a road traffic accident, please get in touch with the quality personal injury lawyers at The Injury Lawyers who will be able to advise you on your potential claim and how to go about getting the ball rolling on the claim.
Our advice is free, our legal services are cost free to our clients, even the initial telephone call is free. You literally have nothing to lose by giving us a quick call.
