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A 33-year-old woman has been charged after a 10-year-old girl was savaged by two Rottweiler’s in Dundee.

According to a report from Sky News the 10-year-old girl was playing on her bike outside her Grandma’s house when the attack took place. Rhianna who suffered from a fractured jaw, injuries to her right arm and left leg and bite marks to her face needed three hours of plastic surgery to repair the damage.

A week before this attack the BBC News ran a report, and released CCTV footage of a woman’s guide dog being savaged by another dog at a railway station in north-west London.
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Potholes, protruding pavements, and poorly maintained pathways; they are all things that local authorities have a clear duty to ensure to protect the public from. But what is the extent of the duty the council has, and when can a claim be brought against them? To be honest, it can be somewhat of a grey area…

If a person is injured due to the state of the highways, then it is possible that they have a claim for compensation. Generally speaking, the defect has to be sufficient enough to warrant action from the local authority. It’s difficult to gauge – but if a hole is deep enough or a pavement is raised enough, and work clearly needs to be done, then a claim can be brought against the relevant authority.

So, what are the ins and outs of what has become the big battle between lawyers and councils?
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Bipolar disorder is a relatively common mental illness that is characterised by periods of very low moods or depression, contrasted with very high moods or mania. Many people have become increasingly familiar with the disorder due to its portrayal in the Stacey Slater character in the popular soap “Eastenders”.

One of the drugs used to stabilise the mood is Lithium. This is an extremely effective treatment and a number of patients remain on lithium for many years. However, it is important that the blood level does not get too high as it can then become toxic. As the level becomes higher, the patient may suffer with symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, confusion and dizziness. If the level becomes higher still, the patient may suffer seizures, pass into a coma and suffer irreversible neurological damage. For these reasons, it is very important that levels of this drug are monitored with blood tests, especially after starting new medicines.

In a case from the MPS casebook, a patient in her forties (Mrs L) was newly diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and started on lithium by her psychiatrist. When her lithium levels were stable, after several changes in dose and regular monitoring, she was discharged back to her regular GP, Dr G.
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Most people know that before they have any pre-planned surgery, they ought to be properly consented by the surgeon. In order to consent to the operation you must be advised of the possible risks and the procedure itself should be explained. If this has not occurred and you believe that surgery took place when you did not have the information to make an informative decision as to whether to go ahead or you were not aware of the extent of the operation then you may have a claim for medical negligence.

In one incident last year, a 31 year old woman with 2 children went to her GP with lower abdomen pain. After some investigation it was discovered that she had a cyst on her left ovary which needed removing. To remove the cyst, she would need a left Oophorectomy, the surgical removal of her left ovary. She was therefore referred to a consultant Gynecologist for the operation.
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Taxi accidents are more frequent than people realise and it often leaves the passengers in what feels like a very awkward position, as after al,l they may wonder what they can do as they were only a passenger. Well it is possible to make a claim for compensation for the injuries you have suffered.

The claim you chose to make will be placed against the party at fault in the accident, they should have insurance to cover them for any accidents. The insurance will cover any amounts of compensation that you are entitled to.

Taxi accidents can be very serious like any other road traffic accident; you may have been rushed to hospital and suffered from many injuries. If that is the case then it would be advisable for you to place a claim for compensation to help you manage your injuries and losses.
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Motorcycle accidents can be common and disastrous. Motorists must always ensure to take extra care to look out for motorcyclists; but it’s not just other road users that can cause a rider injuries.

You can pursue a claim for compensation if you have an accident, or sustain an injury, from a defect in the road surface. Generally, cars can get away with driving over potholes or divots, usually unscathed. But a motorcyclist hitting a pothole or a road defect is an entirely different situation…

Rather obviously, a defect in the road could lead to a motorcyclist coming off of their bike – which could end up being disastrous on a busy road. I’ve said it before, and I shall say it again; riders don’t enjoy the added safety a car offers. The injuries sustained could be serious, especially on a busy road with cars around. If you’re lucky enough to manage to stay on your bike, you could still end up being injured. The defect could shake the bike to the extent that the rider could end up injured from the impact.
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Most people enjoy going abroad on holiday and now is a popular season for taking holidays abroad. When you arrive at your destination, the least thing you expect to happen is to be involved in an accident. Usually, whilst you are on holiday, especially if you have gone as part of a package deal, you will find that you’re well looked after but sometimes, on the unfortunate occasion, you may have found that this hasn’t happened which has led to an accident.

In many instances, when you have had an accident it is because of something i.e. you fell and sustained injury because you fell over an object. If you have had an accident in the hotel complex because something was negligently left unattended then you may have a claim for compensation.

Your travel provider should have insurance to cover any accidents that may occur whilst you are abroad, this insurance covers the travel provider should you make a claim for compensation and the insurance is where your compensation fund is claimed from.
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There are dangers all around us and as long as we are aware of them, sometimes they can be avoided. The most common place where accidents are likely to occur is in the workplace. We all know that accidents happen from time to time but it is the duty of your employer to ensure that the hazards and accidents are kept to a minimum.

As reported on www.safeworkers.co.uk a THIRD of all accidents in the workplace, in the UK are as a result of someone slipping on something or falling over something. This often occurs when floors aren’t cleaned properly or spillages are not reported, or when obstacles are left on the floor unattended and unmarked.
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If you have an accident at work are you responsible or are your employer’s automatically responsible for failing to take “better care of you”?

This is difficult to answer with a definitive ‘yes’ or ‘no’… As every case has to be judged on its own merits and there are many aspects which can influence how successful your claim is likely to be.

The first point is to establish whether or not your employer owed you a duty of care in the circumstances. Did your accident happen in your workplace; this may be in an office or out on a site you are contracted to work on? Your van or truck may be your workplace for example? If this is the case and if you had an accident whilst in your workplace then it’s more than likely that your employer owed you a duty of care.
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Road accidents are common – they happen all the time. Normally, it’s a case of negligence – a driver not paying enough attention on the roads, and subsequently causing an unfortunate accident. But there are things drivers can do that puts themselves and other road users at risk; drink driving being the major one.

Drink driving is against the law for a very good reason – it’s a fact that alcohol impairs a person’s judgment and has a significant impact on the brain. This makes driving under the influence an obvious danger, yet people are still prepared to do it – and it does cause accidents.
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