The roads and streets can be a dangerous place – having worked in this industry for as long as I have, you tend to pick things up most people would miss. Next time you are out and about shopping, walking your dog, or visiting your friends and family, take notice of what’s on the ground you are walking on. It goes without saying that I ask you not to concentrate too hard to ensure you don’t walk in to anything or walk in to the road; but, if you can, just have a look at what’s around you on the streets and roads.

You will probably notice raised paving slabs, cracked concrete, gaps in the kerb, or the dreaded pothole in the road. Normally, these aren’t things you would look out for or particularly spot when you are out and about; but, if it’s in the back of your mind, you will probably begin to notice a lot of dangerous defects out there.

That, ladies and gentleman, is the reason why people end up making a claim against the council. Claims for compensation in general, but particularly council tripper claims, have a bad reputation for some unknown reason (although it probably has something to do with the way our lovely media paint a council claim). If you work in this industry, consciously try and look out for, or have tripped over a defect in the past, you will likely notice the extent to which they litter our pavements and traffic routes.
Read More

10 People died today, and 100 more people suffered brain damage, loss of limbs or paralysis.

In fact, this happens every day on Britain’s roads. These are the cold statistics; but behind the facts for every person killed or injured on the road, there are friends and families whose lives are shattered by such an unexpected and horrifying event.

You may – perhaps rightly – think you are a good driver, and deaths and injuries are everybody else’s problem or fault. But every day normal people like us take risks, make mistakes, and end up causing loss of life. (Source: Green Flag)
Read More

Whilst I don’t want to put a downer on everyone’s September by mentioning the looming winter months as we approach colder climates and shorter days (which I can’t believe how quick the nights are drawing in – I say this every year…), but summer is really over, and we should probably begin preparing for potentially serious adverse conditions given the last two winters of snow and ice.

I’m sure you all remember last year don’t you? The day Britain came to a standstill when we were pummelled with an insane amount of snow. I certainly remember my six hour journey (one that normally takes me 20 minutes) where I had a real concern that I would be involved in an accident or stuck out all night on the roads. With this kind of weather that we may now have to learn to expect in Britain, there is a lot we have to do to prepare ourselves for the worst.

So – what can you do to make sure you don’t end up in a car accident as wet weather and colder conditions commence their grim approach?
Read More

On the 9^th September it was confirmed by the government that there would be a ban on referral fees for personal injury claims.  A referral fee is a fee paid by a solicitor or claims management company in return for the details of people who have been involved in an accident, and have got good prospects for a successful personal injury claim. 

This fee is often in the region of £200 to £1,000.  Worst of all, the victims who’s details are getting passed to third parties probably do not want their details being distributed if they knew that they were.  A solicitor will often pay this referral fee because they consider that in the long run they will be able to make money from the claim.  For example, a solicitor may pay £400 for your details – they get you to pursue your claim with them and win it, and they get paid a few thousand pounds by the Defendant’s in respect of their costs.  In other words, they make a tidy profit.

At The Injury Lawyers we have always spoken out about referral fees and have never paid a referral fee to any company.  As such, we welcome this ban on referral fees.  This is because we do not consider that they are a good thing for the client.  For example, if we were to spend £400 on your buying your claim through a referral fee, that is £400 less we now have to spend on progressing your claim as efficiently as possible.
Read More

Your employer has a duty to make sure you’re safe from the risk of personal injury whilst at work. This obviously includes making sure that you are not injured whilst going about your everyday job, but it also includes protecting you from risks to your long term health.

One common danger, especially in heavy manufacturing and industrial workplaces, is hearing loss.  Many people don’t realise that they can claim for damage to their hearing – or they simply put it down to getting older. However, damage caused to an employee’s hearing is very much a personal injury just as any other injury caused by an employer’s failure to protect the health and safety of their employees.
Read More

Claiming compensation for injuries resulting out of a relatively straightforward road traffic accident is simple.  Your claim can be over in a matter of weeks or months, and what’s best, with the right lawyer on hand, you won’t even have to go to that much effort – they will do all the work for you.

Prior to April 2010 claims for compensation from road accidents could take months or sometimes years.  The Defendant had a period of 21 days to acknowledge your claim and then a further 3 months to investigate it; and that was just to provide an admission or denial of liability. 

Things have changed thankfully.  Now, what is required is for you to submit what is known as a Claims Notification Form or ‘CNF’ through an online portal on the Ministry of Justice website.  Once your lawyers have done this on your behalf the Defendant must acknowledge the CNF within one business day and then they have a further 15 business days in which to admit or deny liability.  This is wholly different from before.  Liability could be admitted for your injuries within 16 days; whereas under the old system, investigations into your accident may not have begun at the same point.  It really is a fast and straightforward process nowadays and an injury lawyer will be more than happy to take you through the process and make sure everything is done correctly.
Read More

If you are injured or experience ill health because of a faulty or defective product, you may be entitled to claim for compensation.

The Consumer Protection Act 1987 (CPA) provides important safeguards to protect consumers from defective products. It makes it easier for a person to claim compensation if they are injured because of a fault in a product.

Nearly everything we buy could be a product that is covered by the CPA.  The CPA recognises that, if not manufactured or sold properly, any product could potentially be harmful to a person’s health. Product liability covers a wide range of products including everyday items such as food, cosmetics or clothes, through to one off items such as electrical goods and children’s toys.
Read More

On the 9^th September the media confirmed that the government had finally announced that it will ban the referral fees that are paid to insurance companies in return for them passing on the details of the victims of accidents.

This move is welcomed by us at The Injury Lawyers. We have always criticised these payments in the past because they are, in our opinion, bad for the client and the personal injury profession.

Referral fees are paid by some firms of solicitors, mainly to claims management companies and insurance firms, but it can be to anyone who passes on details of an injured person, such as a garage or even the police. Many insurance firms, large and small, have passed on the details of their policyholders after they have contacted them to report an accident that was not their fault. In return for these details, many personal injury solicitors pay a referral fee to the insurance company.
Read More

Over the past few years or so, we have seen an increase in personal injury claims stemming from poor quality services in the beauty industry that have left people bruised, burned, scarred, and emotionally down when they end up injured through a beauty treatment gone wrong.

One of the more common ones is treatment involving hair extensions that have gone wrong; so, if you have stumbled upon this article because you are looking for some information on this topic, look no further, and know that you are not alone!

We have had claims ranging from hair dye gone wrong, where skin testing has not been completed correctly or at all, to hair extension treatments performed incorrectly resulting in patches of baldness, uncomfortable head, irritations, and scarring.
Read More

At The Injury Lawyers, we strive to get our clients the maximum compensation they deserve in the shortest time possible.  We are able to do this because we are experts in our field and have the knowledge and professionalism to know how to progress your claim in the best possible way.  That said, our clients can go a long way in helping us get their compensation in the fastest time possible as well.

In most personal injury claims, excluding those which arise from relatively straightforward road accidents, a Letter of Claim will be produced and sent to the opponent.  This is in most cases is the first bit of correspondence between your legal representatives and the Defendant, and outlines the details of your accident, the injuries you suffered as a result of the Defendant’s negligence, and why we consider the Defendant was indeed negligent.  It is therefore key that the Letter of Claim is thorough and that it provides as much detail as it possibly can.  This way the Defendant should be able to get on with their investigations sooner and come back with an admission of liability.

So how can you help make the Letter of Claim as clear as possible?
Read More