Being involved in a road traffic accident is not a very nice experience. If you have sustained injury as a result of a road traffic accident which was not your fault then you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation.

Road traffic accidents can occur in many different circumstances.

I am not surprised by the number of road traffic accidents, just drive during the rush hour and you can see why there are so many accidents on Britain’s roads. Most days I see people driving while on a mobile phone, driving too fast or driving too close to the car in front. It is maddening when you see this kind of driving behaviour. It is easy to become annoyed and this can make the situation worse as you should be calm and attentive while driving.

Typical accidents include rear end shunts and accidents at roundabouts. Accidents can also be caused as a result of vehicles changing lanes. Road traffic accidents can of course be fatal. You can bring a claim whether you were the driver of a vehicle or a passenger. In fact if you were a passenger then it could be said that it is more straightforward as it is difficult to see how a passenger could ever be at fault for a road traffic accident.
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So what does the term quantum actually mean? Quantum in law essentially means value. Every day we get asked questions along the lines of “How much compensation will I receive?” and “What’s the value of my claim?”

The first point to note is that it’s impossible to value a claim at the outset – any value given by Solicitors at this stage is an approximate – for example if your injury sounds like a general whiplash injury you may hear figures of £1,500 to £2,000 being talked about.

However, in reality, it’s impossible to properly value a claim at the outset as the value of a claim depends on the injuries sustained and the effect of the injuries on the Claimant’s life.
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Contributory negligence can be explained by a hypothetical scenario. Say Joe Bloggs sustained an accident at work whereby he caught his hand in machinery which should have been turned off but the off switch had jammed. Say it came to light that Joe Bloggs forgot to put down the safety screen which was company practice even if the machinery was turned off.

Joe Bloggs may still be able to recover compensation but in this scenario it is likely that the Defendant (i.e. the employer) would allege an amount of contributory negligence as it was Joe Bloggs who failed to put down the safety screen.

It could still be argued that it was not a safe system of work and that the machinery or the off switch was defective causing the accident. The Defendant may argue that Joe Bloggs was partly at fault for his own accident. Contributory negligence is often dealt with in terms of a percentage. The Defendant may argue that Joe Bloggs is 90% at fault for the accident whereas Joe Bloggs himself may suggest that his actions or failure to put down the safety screen meant he was 20% at fault for the accident. You can see that it all depends on the circumstances of the particular case.
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Your employer has a duty to keep you safe and free from harm. One potential hazard in the workplace is noise. Exposure to excessive levels of noise can cause deafness – deafness caused by industry or employment is often referred to as industrial deafness. As people’s hearing deteriorates with age, many people who have worked in industry may not be aware that they are suffering from industrial deafness. Noise is measured in decibels (dB).

If noise is a potential hazard in your workplace your employer should have carried out a noise assessment or noise survey. This would involve checking the noise levels at different places through the premises and checking the noise levels emitted from all the various types of machinery. Your employer may also evaluate the noise exposure of each individual employer. Noise exposure is averaged out over an 8 hour working day.

Deafness claims are historic in nature as they can involve bringing a claim against one or more of your former employers. In essence you would seek to bring a claim against each and every employer who exposed you to excessive levels of noise after 1963. You cannot bring a claim for exposure to noise where the exposure occurred before 1963. Noise exposure before 1963 may have caused damage to hearing but in law it is classed as non-negligent exposure as employers were not aware of the dangers of noise at that time. A publication in 1963 meant that employers can be held liable for exposure to noise where the exposure occurred after 1963.
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Roundabouts can be very daunting, especially ones that seem to have never ending amounts of exits! The markings for lanes and exits can be very confusing and therefore accidents which happen on roundabouts are unfortunately one of the most common types of road traffic accidents we deal with here at The Injury Lawyers.

The common circumstances on a roundabout are vehicles pulling onto the roundabout when it is unclear to do so, vehicles changing lanes to exit the roundabout, and also vehicles continuing around the roundabout in the wrong lane which causes accident’s when other vehicles are trying to exit.

The Highway Code provides some general rules on the use of roundabouts, however, even when following these instructions, accidents can still occur as other road users can be careless.
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We’ve all had those moments where we’ve been walking down the stairs and had a wobble; if we’re lucky we manage to save ourselves or if we do fall it is only a couple of stairs and the damage is limited to a temporary knock of our confidence. However, for all the people that don’t fall, there are plenty that do!

Statistics say you are most likely to have an accident on the stairs in your own home but there are many stair based accidents in the workplace as well. In fact there is a league table of the worst performing industries in terms of this type of accident with: Service/Hospitality, Manufacture and Construction being the three worst offenders.

This is not surprising when you think that these are the industries most likely to involve carrying heavy, bulky or hazardous items up and down stairways. Of course it could be the case that you are not at work and have a fall, for example if you were in the library or the bank.
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Although, particularly smaller children, are usually well protected in a vehicle with car seats and booster seats, whiplash can still be a factor if a child is involved in a road traffic accident.

If your child has suffered from whiplash, can they make a claim for compensation?

The simple answer is: not by themselves; the child themselves cannot start a claim as they are under the age of 18 and therefore cannot enter into legal proceedings – however an appropriate adult can act on their behalf for a whiplash claim and it will run in pretty much the same way an adult claim would.
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You may not be surprised to hear that whiplash claims are one of the most common types of personal injury claims. Whiplash claims unfortunately seem to attract a lot of bad press as well.

However anyone who has ever suffered a whiplash type injury will know that whiplash can cause a great deal of pain, discomfort and inconvenience. Whiplash is a genuine injury and an injury which is compensatable in law. I believe the main difficulty or the reason why whiplash claims receives such a bad press is due to the perceived difficulty in diagnosing the condition.

If you have sustained whiplash following a road traffic accident then it is your right to claim compensation.
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A moped is a motorcycle that has a maximum design speed of approximately 31 miles per hour and can be driven on the road at the age of 16 with a provisional licence and “L” plates. Making these vehicles extremely popular with teenagers. They are a perfect for teenagers who are starting to gain their independence.

However, as with motorcycles, they are involved in a high number of accidents on the road. How, if they can only go 31mph? Well the answer is that mainly mopeds are involved in accidents due to other road users who are not looking and checking mirrors properly.

The main scenarios include vehicles pulling out of a side road into a moped which is correctly proceeding on the main road, vehicles pulling out of stationary traffic whilst a moped is attempting to overtake the stationary traffic, and vehicles changing lanes when a moped is travelling at the side of them.
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PPE (or Personal Protective Equipment) is of fundamental importance in the workplace to keep workers safe and to enable workers to do their job properly. PPE can include boots, overalls, high visibility vests, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats etc. Without PPE the chances of injury are undoubtedly increased. The purpose of PPE is to ensure workers are kept as safe as possible. The PPE relevant to you would depend on your role and the environment that you work in.

If you think of a building site, the typical PPE is usually hard hats, high visibility vests and boots. On a building site there may be loose bricks overhead so you can see why hard hats are required. High visibility vests are also useful as there may be vehicles coming in and out of the building site. Boots are also necessary and would help prevent injury if anything was dropped onto the workers foot.

If you think of an alternative environment, such as a train depot or power station, PPE should include hearing protection as noise levels may reach levels that could potentially be harmful. On a train depot you would also expect high visibility vests so people can be seen. If a person uses vibratory tools as part of their job, such as jack hammers, gloves may be necessary to help prevent hand arm vibration syndrome (also known as vibration white finger).
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