Archives

A hospital in Lancashire has been forced to issue an apology after a father had to deliver his own baby when a midwife left the room.

According to the BBC, Thomas Howard pressed the emergency button to summon staff to the room, but nobody came until after the baby was born.

His partner gave birth to their daughter Madeline on 26^th January 2010. The midwife who was supposed to be helping them through the pregnancy had apparently left the room to get Mr Howard’s partner Emily Baron’s medical notes.
Read More

The bacterium responsible for Legionnaires’ disease has been found in changing rooms at Northampton racecourse.

According to the BBC, the changing room was closed on 27^th January 2010 following routine testing.

Northampton Borough Council took action to disinfect the water supply and showers in the room. The Council has taken steps to ask a specialist firm to come in to the racecourse to see if there are any steps that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of this occurring in the future. The changing room will be closed this week to allow for work to be undertaken on the premises but the Council hopes to have the room reopened shortly.
Read More

Cigarettes are often derided for being bad for your health and I always thought lung cancer was the biggest risk to your health as a consequence of smoking. However, Mr Andi Susanto certainly got more than he bargained for when the cigarette he was smoking exploded, taking out six of his teeth.

 According to the BBC, Mr Susanto, an Indonesian man was riding a motorcycle when the cigarette exploded in his mouth. The makers of the cigarette, a company called PT Nojorono Tobacco, have offered him compensation for his injuries and he accepted a payment of £5 million rupiah and all his medical costs from them.

£5 million rupiah sounds like a lot doesn’t it? Well actually it’s a mere £335! That is a shockingly low figure given the gravity of Mr Susanto’s injuries. If he were in the UK and suffered such an injury then he would be entitled to a much higher level of compensation. According to the Judicial Studies Board guidelines, he could have been entitled to up to £15,000 compensation for the loss of several teeth.
Read More

There was a fortunate escape on Monday when a school bus carrying sixty children swerved off the road in to a field near Omagh.

Despite the incident, no children were injured when the bus came off Drumlegagh Road South, Omagh.  However, this wasn’t the only incident in the area, as shortly before the bus accident a car crashed into a field on the other side of the road. According to the BBC, the vehicle contained two people, neither of whom was hurt as a result of the accident.

Initial investigations in to what caused the crashes have indicated that poor road conditions were a contributory factor.
Read More

Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke has criticised the Department of Health over cardiac surgery costs.

According to the BBC, the cost of sending people outside Northern Ireland for heart operations has triple in the past three years.

The reasons provided for this is that the Department of Health says spending in the region of £7 million on the service helps to keep waiting lists down.
Read More

A man was struck with his own walking stick during a robbery at his home in Newcastle.

According to the BBC, the gentleman was attacked by three intruders at his home on Beaconsfield, Newcastle. In addition, the burglars stole jewellery from the house. The incident occurred on Monday evening and the 48 year old suffered minor head injuries following the blow and the incident has been reported to police, who are requesting that anyone with information about the incident contact Northumbria Police.

Depending on the severity of his injuries this gentleman may be entitled to claim compensation via the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (or CICA) .
Read More

A company working at London Heathrow Airport has been fined £90,000 after an engineer was crushed to death by an electric vehicle at the airport.

The victim was maintenance engineer Mohammed Taj, 52, who was killed after a “tug” vehicle used for pulling baggage and supplies fell on his head during an inspection.

According to the BBC, Mr Taj was checking the brakes on the vehicle but there was no other support holding the vehicle during his inspection when it fell on to him.
Read More

Recalls are not uncommon today; although usually manufactures put their products through stringent testing to ensure nothing can go wrong, there are occasions when something important is missed. So how about sticking accelerator pedals – that important enough for you?

According to sources form the BBC (source) Toyota has announced another recall on top of its already growing list, after it has been found that certain models pedal mechanism is becoming warn; sometimes to the extent of the pedal  getting stuck! So far the recall has only been announced in the US, and it is currently unknown if any other countries have been affected.

According to the report, the models affected include 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2009-2010 Matrix, the 2005-2010 Avalon, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2010 Highlander, the 2007-2010 Tundra, and the 2008-2010 Sequioia.  
Read More

Restaurants in Derbyshire have been warned to inform customers about ingredients after a customer with a nut allergy was served peanuts.

According to the BBC, Su Tung Chow, the owner of the New China House takeaway on Derby road, Chesterfield was fined more than £2,500 for breaching food safety rules.

The customer ordered a peanut free option but the meal he was served included the nuts and he had to be taken for hospital treatment. The customer was awarded a sum of £200.00 by the court by way of compensation.
Read More

Police in Derbyshire have been praised following a considerable increase in the number of people caught drink driving over the festive period.

According to the BBC, throughout December officers stopped 1,011 people, 121 of whom tested positive or refused to provide a sample. That is an 11% success rate. This compares exceptionally well with the previous year where they stopped 4,500 motorists and only achieved a 4% positive test rate.

Police targeted persistent drink drivers or acted on information from informants and the general public.

Chief Inspector, Tim Frohwein, conceded to being disappointed to find that such large numbers of people were still drink driving, despite a campaign to crackdown on the numbers by distributing posters and leaflets in pubs and clubs, but was pleased with the response of the general public, stating that “People who suspected others of getting behind the wheel after a drink called the police to tell us” and “We are grateful to these callers for their assistance”.
Read More