When we visit a local food outlet we expect that the food we purchase is safe for us to eat and that it abides with all food hygiene standard ratings. However, that isn’t always the case; after eating out some of us have been left ill due to being stuck down by food poisoning. There was recently a story we covered about a five year old school boy who died after eating a contaminated school meal that caused those who came into contact with it to suffer from E-coli.

Thousands of pubs, shops and restaurants are now being given a new food hygiene standard rating in a bid to reduce the one million cases of food poisoning each year. Food poisoning can be caused in a number of ways – it may be that those who suffered the disease ate under cooked or out of date food. It may be that those responsible for the food let cooked meat come into contact with raw meat. This latest scheme hopes to crack down on the causes of food poisoning and those responsible for making those much needed changes.

The scheme for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, backed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and local authorities, aims to grade every premises that sells or serves food. Premises being graded include nursing homes, schools, and hospitals, along with conventional food outlets.  Consumers will then be able to check an establishment’s hygiene rating before they choose to enter the premises.
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When we use a taxi service, we expect that the service we are using is going to get us to where we want to be safely. All taxi drivers should have a personal identification number to show that they have a valid licence to drive a taxi. This identification number is there for passengers of the taxi to take note of if they wish to complain about the taxi service they received, or in the unfortunate event that they do become involved in an accident.

If you do become involved in a road traffic accident whilst travelling as a passenger in a taxi, then you may be able to make an injury compensation claim. As a passenger in a taxi, a court will see you as the innocent party, as it is unlikely that you will have had any contribution towards the accident. If you suffer injury due to that accident, you should seek medical attention, and make medics aware of how you sustained your injuries.

A drunken Sheffield taxi driver who crashed his cab, injuring himself and three passengers, has received a 16 month jail term. Sheffield Crown Court heard how father-of-five Suleymaan Ismaciil, aged 37, terrified his three passengers as he drove them home following a night out in the city. Ismaciil picked up the men on London Road and was asked to take them to Hackenthorpe.

The court was told that he set off at a speed, and ignored a red light as he sped along the dark streets. His passengers begged him to slow down but he kept driving in an erratic manner. At one point, Ismaciil’s head slumped as if he had passed out at the wheel. The court heard how he narrowly avoided another vehicle, and then as he overtook another car, he lost control and collided at high speed with a bollard.

The collision caused his black cab to flip onto its side, and the passengers had to be dragged out of the vehicle by a passer-by. Ismaciil suffered chest injuries, and his passengers all suffered injuries including whiplash, that caused them to miss lengthy periods of work.

Ismaciil refused to give a breath sample at the scene, but a blood sample taken at the Northern General Hospital showed he had 71mg of alcohol in 100ml of his blood. The legal limit is 80mg, but a back-calculation showed that at the time of the accident, the reading would have been around 122mg.

Banning him from driving for three years, and ordering him to take an extended driving test, Judge Simon Lawler QC said: “Those who are charged with carrying members of the public as taxi drivers owe those passengers a duty of care. You fell well below that standard.”

If you would like free and friendly legal advice about claiming for road accidents, give us a call for a no obligation chat about your options.

The government are constantly warning us about binge drinking, and the council are constantly trying to prevent the sale of cheap alcohol to restrain those who do binge drink from buying alcohol. When we are over the legal drink drive limit, we often do things we wouldn’t normally do.

If we become injured after consuming alcohol in an accident that wasn’t our fault, a claim for compensation may be affected.

A story in the Daily Mail says that the binge drinking culture has created a generation of aggressive and out of control women. A study conducted by expert’s shows that the number of teenage girls who are physically aggressive and lash out at school and at home has risen at an alarming rate.
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The Met Office and Local Authorities have issued weather warnings across the UK. Yesterday police warned those who didn’t need to travel should stay indoors and wear warm clothing as temperatures drop to -20C in some places as we experience the coldest November in 25 years.

This morning, most of us would have woken to see a white covering on the ground, and only the bravest would have attempted to go to work. Driving in the snow makes for some of the worst driving conditions, especially when it has had chance to settle through the night.

Latest news stories show that those who fail to get to work due to weather conditions cost the economy millions of pounds each year. With Britains current financial situation, it will be essential to employers that all employees make their best attempts to get to work.
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None of us expect to become involved in any kind of accident when going about our everyday business. However, we also know that if those responsible for ensuring we are safe fail to carry out the necessary safety checks and adhere to regulations, then our health and safety is put at risk.

Surprisingly, supermarket accidents are actually quite common; in fact, they are one of the most popular kinds of injury compensation claims we deal with. It is a huge possibility that we will all visit our local supermarket on a regular basis. Not only do they have everything we need under one roof, they also offer products at a much cheaper price than anywhere else.

Unfortunately, supermarkets aren’t just packed with goods but hazards as well; they have shelves stacked high with glass bottles, tins and other objects. Any spillage on an aisle could cause someone to slip or fall if it goes unnoticed. They also have large displays at the end of aisles; if they are not secured, they could fall over and injure a shopper.
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Electrical goods are something we use everyday – we use them both at work and at home, and let’s face it, we would struggle to do everyday things without them. When we use electrical equipment at work, it all needs to have been tested to make sure that it is safe for us to use, and that it follows all UK safety regulations.

When we purchase electrical equipment for our home we usually buy it from retail stores that we trust, and only buy and sell stock that has undergone the necessary checks, and abides by all safety regulations. To ensure our electrical equipment is safe at home, we should maintain it safely, and keep it away from damp conditions. If we think a piece of equipment is faulty, we should restrain from using it, and get it fixed or checked immediately.

A report done by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) confirms that electricity can easily and injure, and sadly kill, people using them. The report says that around 1000 electrical accidents are reported to them in the workplace each year, and that about 25 of those people die from their injuries. If electrical equipment isn’t used and maintained properly, it can have serious implications for those using it.
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All road users should understand that children have little understanding about using the roads safely. That is why as a driver, when we see a child waiting to cross a road, we should slow down in the event that they run out in front of us.

When we talk about children, we mean those who are still at primary school or of a young age. Sometimes parents let their children walk home, especially if the school is local and not a far walk. Even if their parents pick them up they often wander off in front with friends, or lag behind. Whatever the situation, it is important that all drivers take into account the possibility of a child running out in from of them.

Children do not have the same understanding of danger as adults, and so a child may not realise the potential risk when running out in front of motor vehicles. When a child is put in a potentially dangerous road traffic situation, a lower standard of personal care is expected of them. This means that if there was a road traffic accident, children at a young age may not be found to have shown negligence in an accident where an adult may clearly have been at fault. Read More

Sport is something a lot of us have been brought up with from such a young age. It may be that our dad followed the local football team, or that our older sister regularly took part in athletics. Whatever the reason, sport has grown to play a huge part in British culture.

Sport  not only leads to a healthy lifestyle, but it is a hobby many of us enjoy. There are a variety of sports that we can take part in throughout the UK, some indoors, some outdoors. For those of us who can’t bare the cold, I’d say it’s best to stick to the indoor sports.

For those of us who watch sport we will be aware that sporting accidents are actually quite common. When we watch a football game, it is extremely likely that at some point during that game we will see a player get injured and taken off the pitch. Some sporting accidents can be minor and simply require those taking part to rest for a while. Others can have extreme effects on those injured, and may prevent them from taking part in any sport for a long time.
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When using public transport, we all have a right to feel safe and free from any harm. On a bus, it is the driver and the bus company who owe us as their passengers a duty of care. In order to maintain this duty of care, they should drive safely, stick to the speed limit, stop at designated bus stops, and allow us time when boarding to sit down before they depart.

There have been many accidents on buses resulting from the driver failing to allow passengers time to sit down before they depart from the bus stop. This has caused unnecessary accidents, especially amongst the elderly who aren’t as strong on their feet.

A bus driver should give all people boarding the bus time to sit safely in their seats before departing from the bus stop. If a bus driver speeds off from a bus stop without giving passengers time to sit down, it is possible to make an injury compensation claim in some circumstances. Read More

The Highway Code is something all road users must abide by; if they fail to do so, some of the penalties can be a criminal offence, leading to prosecution. Knowing the rules in the Highway Code is essential.

The Highway Code is a series of rules created for all road uses in England, Scotland, and Wales. The reading and understanding of it is essential for everyone. It affects:

• Pedestrians, especially children, older or disabled people
• Cyclists
• Motorcyclists
• Horse riders
• Drivers

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