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When we think of injuries caused by accidents in the work place, we usually think of trips and falls caused by spillages or misplaced wires, or staff using faulty equipment that hasn’t had the sufficient checks it needs. However, that’s not always the case; a report in the Daily Mail is about a teacher who has been awarded £150,000 after she lost her voice trying to make herself heard in the classroom.

The report reveals that Joyce Walters, 50, damaged her vocal cords after straining to raise her voice above the volume of noise coming from a nearby playground. As a result, she was forced to quit her job and the 50-year-old says she now struggles with everyday tasks such as talking on the phone, and suffers from a sore throat when she raises her voice in bars.

In total, Mrs Walters received £156,000 in out-of-court settlements from her council after claiming she could never teach again. Experts say this is one of the largest payouts of its kind, and creates an example of the growing culture of compensation claims and payouts. Last year, another teacher was awarded £173, 595 for dislocating an ankle during playground duty.
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Yesterday there was a huge gas explosion in a bunch of terraced houses in the Irlam area of Salford, Manchester. The explosion happened at 7.09am this morning turning four terraced houses into a pile of rubble. 11 people survived the gas explosion; six of those were pulled from the rubble by a team of 40 fire-fighters and other emergency services. The most seriously injured person from the explosion was a 76-year-old woman who was taken to hospital with life threatening injuries and 30 per cent burns.

Other people injured in the explosion included a pregnant lady and a small child, a gentleman who was hit on the head when his ceiling collapsed and two adults and three children who were recued from the rubble but escaped with minor injuries. Emergency services have now evacuated the area where the explosion took place until a further investigation is carried out. An estimated 200 houses have been evacuated. The explosion that took place early this morning was said to have been heard from a distance of five miles.
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We are all aware that the speed we are travelling at can depend up on whether or not we become involved in a road traffic accident. The speed limit determines whether or not we are able to stop when a vehicle or pedestrian appears in front of us. In the most populated areas with street lights, the speed limit is 30 mph unless specified differently.

Most of us stick to the speed limit, although there are some drivers who fail to stick to the law on speeding. Speeding is a high factor in the amount of accidents on our roads, especially in wet and icy weather conditions. There are always adverts on the TV created by the government to make drivers aware of what difference travelling at 30mph can make to travelling at 40mph.

The government and local councils recently turned a number of speed cameras off because they weren’t catching many offending drivers, so what a waste of money! Today, some of those cameras are being turned back on, due to an increase in the amount of motoring offences.
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According to sources from the Daily Mail, Kenneth Clarke is aiming to hit hard on the “greedy solicitors” who operate under No Win No Fee deals that end up costing parties at fault thousands of pounds in legal fees. It’s quite a bold statement, and quite a bold article. We at The Injury Lawyers of course believe it’s important to analyse the real situation; so let’s take a look at the report and see what our government are planning to do:

Described as a “radical shake-up”, the report advises that Clarke aims to stop the “ambulance-chasing lawyers” from “cashing in on frivolous cases.” Although it appears that No Win No Fee isn’t actually going to be scrapped; what is being reviewed are the success fees that solicitors are entitled to for winning a case; which operates on a sliding scale basis relevant to the risk of the case. The article is of course is more than happy to point out the obvious one that often hits the news; seemingly increasing NHS bills from negligence claims against them.
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Given how common road accidents are, it’s never surprising to see them in the news. Whether it’s a horrific and unfortunate crash with fatalities involved, the M1 at a standstill, celebrity road antics, or just peculiar stories, they always manage to find their way on to the press headlines. We at The Injury Lawyers, as road accident specialists, are used to seeing a wide variety of claims through the door on a daily basis.

A story from BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11599203) tells of an unfortunate crash involving a man driving his car with the use of mind controlled prosthetic limb. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi film, doesn’t it? But it’s a true story:  22 year old Austrian Christian Kandlbauer is thought to be the world’s first person to pass their driving test with the use of prosthetic limbs. He tragically lost both of his arms four years ago after he was shocked by 20,000 volts, and his life was turned back around when he was provided with artificial limbs he can control with his mind.

His Subaru has been specially adapted, and he is legally qualified to drive – he was unfortunately found by a trucker in his car which had caught fire after smashing in to a tree. His condition is reportedly serious, and a police officer was reported to have said “Looking at the state of the wreck, it’s a miracle he got out at all”. A passing lorry driver was able to assist in putting the flames out and saving Mr Kandlbauer from the wreck.
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Road accidents are a daily occurrence. We at The Injury Lawyers take on countless claims for victims of negligent drivers in their search for justice and the compensation they are legally entitled to receive. With the winter months setting in and the weather worsening, I expect a noticeable increase in the volume of road accident claims we take on; which is a common trend.

But every now and then, a road accident is not just a road accident. Sometimes, it seems like shear madness is the cause of negligence – so here’s a couple of stories from Sky News and The Daily Mail of incidents that certainly have an air of craziness about them.

According to one report from Sky News (Melbourne Mum Crashes Car Crammed With Seven Kids), a 35 year old woman from Melbourne, Australia, is being investigated by police after she crashed an unregistered ’92 Mitsubishi Magna which was carrying seven children; including three in the boot! She was allegedly over the drink-drive limit (which is not surprising, and certainly explains, but does not excuse, her actions) when she drove the car off of the road and in to a parked vehicle.
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After been trapped in the San Jose Mine for 69 days the Chile miners rescue mission began in the early hours of 13 October 2010, UK time. 33 miners have been trapped down the mine since September and this is the much anticipated rescue mission they thought might never come.

The rescue mission was originally estimated to take around 48 hours to get all 33 miners up 620 metres from the underground mine where they are currently trapped. There are also a number of rescue workers who have gone down the mine to ensure a successful rescue mission.

When deciding on what order the miners were rescued it was discussed between those trapped underground and those organising the mission. Some of the fittest were brought up first to ensure the safety of the mission, those with health problems then followed them and the stronger ones will then be brought up last. It is thought that one of the very last people to come up from underground is one of the voluntary rescue workers who went down the mine to help with the evacuation.
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We all know that it can be a bit of a task to find a restaurant suitable for your baby to dine with you. Babies are noisy and messy; a fact which many restaurant-goers can often take offence to. So it’s nice to find a good restaurant with facilities like high chairs and baby changing rooms to accommodate for your needs. But be afraid – in fact, be very afraid – at this next report from the Daily Mail, as the facilities the restaurants are kind enough to provide may actually be putting your baby at risk…

According to the report (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1319401/And-baby-comes–But-watch–restaurant-high-chairs-harbour-bacteria-average-toilet-seat.html), restaurant high chairs harbour more bacteria than the average toilet seat, according to concerning research from Microban, a leading brand of anti-bacterial products. Swabs from high chairs in 30 different restaurants found that the average number of bacteria on a high chair was 147 per square centimetre. Compare this to the average toilet seat, which has just 8 per square centimetre, and you’ve got yourself a concerning comparison.

The results reportedly varied considerably, with some being relatively clean, and others as high as 1,200 bacteria per square centimetre! I’m no microbiologist – but look at the comparison between a toilet seat with 8 bacteria per square centimetre, and a baby’s high chair with 1,200 bacteria per square centimetre, and try not to share the look of absolute shock I have on my face right now! The research also found bacteria such as E-coli, Staph Aureus and Enterococcus Faecalis – all of which can cause upset stomachs and serious illness to babies and children.
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We at The Injury Lawyers, as expert specialist personal injury solicitors, are used to dealing with high value claims for personal injury. Our experience and specialism means that we guarantee maximum payouts for our clients, and we are best equipped to deal with serious injury claims. With these types of claims, it’s all about ensuring that we get the justice the victim deserves, so they can have a better quality of life in circumstances where they have been permanently disadvantaged.

So, here’s a story of a tragic accident that left a talented young sixth former with permanent disabilities after a road accident, according to sources from the Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1318558/Beautiful-smiling-teenager-wins-record-17-5m-compensation-car-crash-left-catastrophic-injuries.html).
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We at The Injury Lawyers are experts in the field of personal injury; it’s all we do! So we are used to seeing a huge variety of claims and a variety of clients. And we often see in the news, and take on ourselves, what some people might call high profile claims for compensation.

So, here’s one from sources from the BBC News about an extra on the new Transformers 3 film (which, on a separate note, I personally can’t wait for – let’s hope it’s better than the second one!) who is suing the film company for a serious injury he sustained whilst working on the set (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11485712).

According to the report, the family of Gabriela Cedillo have filed a law suit against Paramount after a thick slab of metal became dislodged from a stunt car and struck the 24 year old actress in the head, leaving her  with permanent brain damage, partially paralysed, and unable to speak and her left eye stitched shut.  It’s a truly devastating story that has left a young actress with life changing disabilities. The family’s lawyer, Todd Smith, has reportedly said that the accident last month was “something that certainly should never have happened, something that we believe occurred as a result of carelessness“.
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