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Normally when a ride goes wrong people end up claiming for a whiplash type injury for a sudden stop or if the ride breaks mid-use and traps people upside down for a while. But according to sources from the BBC, Alton Towers’ brand new £18m Smiler ride has been shut down after wheels fell off and hit four people in the front carriage (source)!

One rider who was hit by debris from the cascading ‘guide wheels’ described the experience as “pretty frightening“. He went on to say “you are at the highest point of the ride and you’ve got all these loops to do and you just think that the carriage is going to come off.”
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Most accidents that occur on or after 31^st July 2013 will be pursued under a new protocol that differs significantly to the traditional way of pursuing these claims to put them more in line with the Road Traffic Accident Protocol system. Essentially, most claims against employers or in public places like shops, restaurants, or out on the highway will now be pursued using a portal system similar to that of road accidents.

So what does this mean for people wanting to make a claim for personal injury compensation?

Well the idea behind the system is that claims are settled much quicker without the need for lengthy litigation and without the need for solicitor costs for letters and telephone calls. The whole portal system means that information is shared between parties electronically. In line with this system, legal fees that law firms receive have been dramatically, and I mean dramatically, cut. In fact, the fees we receive now could potentially lead to poor levels of service from many firms (not us! Read on for more info!)
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We recently did an article on the clampdowns being faced by claims management companies. The changes that will affect thousands of firms have hit the news as well recently. I’ll come on to a little something about the story being in the news shortly, but for now let’s stick to the main point of the article – why avoid claims management firms?

They’re Just Middlemen…

Well firstly, they are just that – middlemen. They don’t add any value to the claim by simply giving you an idea as to whether you have a claim and then passing it to a law firm for assessment. Really it just delays the process. Speaking to a law firm directly like us means there are no middlemen involved – we can normally tell you on the first call whether you have a claim, and then it’s actually us that represent you.
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Given there are so many lawyers out there who can represent you for a claim for personal injury compensation choosing the right one can be a mission in itself. Competition has been extreme in the personal injury industry, which is why some firms have thought of clever ways of reeling you in to using their services.

Cash up-front and a free iPad have been two of the most popular hooks used by firms to get you to sign up to their legal services. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to look at the free iPad offer and why you probably no longer see it, and why you shouldn’t really trust it…
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April 1^st 2013 saw the biggest shake up in the personal injury compensation claiming world ever. Some of changes affect clients directly, and we are not too happy with them, but others we are more than happy with.

The banning of referral fees was one of the highlights of the reforms we think! No longer can claims be sold for profit by claims management companies (CMC’s), insurers, garages, and all sorts of companies. People would search the net, see a company advertising No Win, No Fee services, likely not realise it’s not a law firm, and instruct them to deal with the case. They would then pass the claim to a lawyer for up to £1,000 – money that comes straight from the budget for running your claim; leading to poor levels of service and under settled claims.

So what are the new changes? Well according to updates from the government, the rules which came into force on the 8th of July mean that:
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According to sources from the BBC (source), Aviva have a dream – a dream that will save you money. In a triple dip recession (or whatever stage we’re at with it these days!) we’re all in need of a bit of extra cash or being able to save a little extra money in the costs of living. Aviva Insurance claim they can help you out here!

Their proposal according to news sources is to “cut out middlemen who inflate the cost of claims” as they blame whiplash claims for the rapid rise in insurance premiums for cars. The middlemen, they claim, are us – personal injury law firms. What they are proposing is that injury victims go to them directly, allow the insurers then to value your claim, and pay you out without the need for paying legal fees.
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With so many personal injury firms to choose from it can be difficult to know who you can trust with your claim. Most of us would want the same thing when it comes to a personal injury claim – to get the maximum amount of compensation as quickly and as hassle free as possible. We would also expect professionalism, legal expertise, legal experience, regular updates etc.

Here at The Injury Lawyers we strive to give the best possible service to you, our clients. We have a motto that client’s are the lifeblood of our organisation. Without client’s the firm would not be operational as a business. The best way to obtain work is to do a good job and then people will not think twice about using The Injury Lawyers again. In addition, it gives us a great deal of satisfaction if clients refer our services to friends and family. We strive to do everything possible to bring your claim to a successful and swift conclusion. Just take a look at our Client Testimonials.

Of course personal injury claims do take time and at the outset no Solicitor can tell you with any great certainty how long your claim is likely to take. This is because all Solicitors work under the same rules and protocols. Insurers have set time frames in which to respond by, and in running a claim, we deal with outside agencies such as GP practices, hospitals, medical experts etc. A lot of a Solicitors job can be chasing matters, such as chasing a liability decision from an insurer. Ultimately if an insurer or third party is delaying the progress of a claim, action can be taken. We can seek the assistance of the Court in order to move the case along.
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A recent report has been commissioned by the Royal Mail which has concluded that the laws to protect postal workers from dog attacks is inadequate.  According to the report, further laws need to be created to deal with the owners of dogs which attack postal workers while delivering mail.

According to the commissioned report, around 3,000 postal works a year are subject to attacks by dogs when on their rounds. These attacks can be brutal and in certain circumstances ruin people’s lives. As a result of the commissioned report it has come to light of a postal worker who was attacked in Sheffield by two Staffordshire Bullterriers and has been left with visual and mental scars and is now disabled as a result of the attack.

This commissioned report has called for the Government to introduce immediate changes to the law which will help protect postal workers. One of the proposals from the Royal Mail is to suspend deliveries to addresses where there is a threat to a postal worker from being attacked. This pressure has also been increased due to recent changes to the law on dog attacks in Scotland, Northern Ireland and soon to be introduced in Wales, leaving England the only part not to take action.
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The economic climate does have an impact on compensation claims and this area has been covered in the news on many occasions. Some say that work accident compensation claims are becoming more frequent due to the economic climate.

The argument is that, as businesses look for bigger profits, they will often leave their employees with greater exposure to health and safety risks. Another point is that people may be more inclined to bring a claim for compensation if they sustain injury. If the economy was better and people were more content with the money they were earning, it could be said that they would be less likely to bring a compensation claim.

Obviously if you sustain injury at work for example, then it is your right to bring a compensation claim. Whether you exercise the right to claim is entirely a personal choice.
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Health and safety is of course vitally important. But it is also incredibly frustrating at times as well. We can all see that health and safety rules are necessary, such as in the workplace or at certain attractions (such as theme parks etc).

However health and safety rules sometimes seem ridiculous and this had lead to numerous people commenting that we are a society that has gone “health and safety mad”. When you contrast the workers of previous decades to the workers of today, you can see how things have changed. Obviously a lot of changes such as having protective clothing, hearing protection, hard hats etc have been welcomed and rightly so.

Health and safety rules have recently surfaced in the press again. In fact the BBC published an article on the 10^th September 2012 regarding ministers’ plans to exempt thousands of businesses from health and safety inspections.
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