Britain’s roads are busy, and our skies are polluted – it’s an overwhelming argument in favour of greener, leaner transport. The government in recent years has done a fair bit to try and inspire this, with cycling lanes and toll roads. But the issue remains that motorists and cyclists have never quite seen eye to eye…

Let’s face it; motorists are wound up by slow cyclists, often leaving them impatient and careless. In the absence of taking the right amount of due care and attention, an accident with a cyclist is a common occurrence. But cyclists can help themselves – and many cyclists do. There is legislation in place to improve the safety of cyclists on our roads. It’s good to see public figures as advocates of such safety; but it’s bizarre to see it go hypocritically wrong:
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Tattoos are now more popular than ever; apparently one in three British adults have one. And that comes as no surprise considering how mainstream they have now become – even all the celebrities show them off!

Recently, tattooing has become so popular that people are attempting DIY tattoos at home! Trained tattoo artists say they are becoming increasingly worried about the number of people who request they cover up a “bodge job amateur attempt” at inking.

DIY kits can be purchased through internet sites for as little as £60.00!! (Which ironically is probably the going rate for a small sized tattoo by a professional tattooist these days!) It’s easy to see the attraction and why so many people are giving their artwork a go.
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The transportation of Toxic waste to the Ivory Coast, a country in South Africa, is allegedly responsible for the injury of thousands of local people living on the coast line. It is reported that Trafigura, a British and Dutch based company, had attempted to acquire a Dutch Contractor to clean up the waste on one of its ships but the price was too high so the company employed an Ivorian Company to dispose of the waste. The company Trafigura denies any wrong doing.

A UN report shows that the dumped waste can very likely be held accountable for the death of fifteen people in the area, strong evidence suggests.
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We all love to go to the fairground; the thrill of the fast rides and the party atmosphere; it’s a lot of fun! Rides are scary enough, but when they become life threatening, it’s no longer a laughing matter.

Rides must undergo stringent testing and inspection to ensure they are safe to use, given the dangers they could potentially cause. So it’s never nice to hear when a child is injured on a ride where negligence could be involved.

According to sources from The Mirror (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/07/22/tot-thrown-from-ride-in-fair-horror-115875-22431048/), a young boy was thrown from a fairground ride after a flying shoe knocked him unconscious, resulting in him slipping from his safety restraints, plummeting to the ground.
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Road accidents are common enough, and accidents involving motorcycles are also very common. Drivers must ensure they are careful on the roads, taking extra care to look out for motorcycles as they can be hard to spot. And sadly, given that a rider does not have the protection a motor car offers, motorcycle accidents can often be tragic.

Just last night an accident occurred in my local area involving a motorcycle with a pillion passenger and another vehicle; the full circumstances of which are currently unknown. The accident occurred on the A6 connecting road between Alfreton and Shirland yesterday evening, with police blocking off access ways leading to the road; one of which was where I was driving when I became aware of the accident. Sources from www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk have confirmed that the rider was tragically killed, and his pillion passenger sustained a broken leg, after a collision with a Mazda on the A61 Chesterfield Road at around 19:15 last night.
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Sky News reports that workers that were on the Deepwater Horizon rig raised concerns about the safety of some of the equipment just weeks before the explosion which caused the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

A survey was done by Transocean reveals that the staff on the oil rig raised awareness with the employees and management that they were concerned that some of their equipment was unsafe and felt they needed this to be looked into. I bet the management are wishing they had taken more of an active approach to these statements made by their employers and maybe then this disaster, and the millions of pounds recovery, could have been avoided.

Even more shockingly to say, it is reported that a separate 112 page equipment assessment had not been fully inspected since the year 2000!! Guidelines state that this should be done every 3 to 5 years. This company failed to check this for over 10 years. This is appalling to hear considering how much damage this oil spill has done, not only to the wildlife and natural inhabitants of the Gulf of Mexico but also the millions of pounds it is costing to get this problem resolved.
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A report has recently been released in the media about an incident in which a man was accidentally shot in the groin with a Taser by a Police Officer.

This painful incident occurred on Tuesday 13th July 2010 when 49 year old Peter Cox from Somerset was stopped by police whilst driving his BMW motor car on suspicion of driving without insurance, a suspicion which later proved to be unfounded. Mr. Cox saw the Police car approaching in his rear view mirror and promptly pulled over outside of his friend’s house. Upon exiting the vehicle he was immediately confronted by a Police officer pointing a Taser stun weapon at him and although the officer promptly lowered the weapon, it discharged as he did so and it hit Mr. Cox in the groin and ankle, shocking him with 50,000 volts in the process.

The Taser narrowly missed the man’s genitals, knocked Mr. Cox to the ground and he had to be treated by paramedics. Mr. Cox suffers from Guillain Barre Syndrome which attacks the nervous system but he said that the pain he experienced from the Taser was worse than anything he had experienced before. He said “as soon as it was done the officer came running up to me apologizing and said it was an accidental discharge. It was dreadful. The pain was unbelievable. It was the worst pain I’d ever felt.”
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A story in recent news reports of a teenage girl who has sadly died after being sent home from the hospital after her full symptoms weren’t fully diagnosed. (source)

Amy Carter, 15, begged Doctors at Worcester Royal Hospital not to send her home as she said “I’m dying”.  Amy was diagnosed with Glandular Fever and was sent home by Doctors who told her to take paracetamol and get plenty of rest. Amy sadly died three days later after suffering from four heart attacks and multiple organ failure.

A Post-mortem examination showed that Amy had died from Glandular Fever and Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome, a very lethal combination of illnesses which has never been seen in a patient before. Amy developed Septicemia after being released by Doctors. Amy hadn’t been able to eat for nineteen days and weighed only six stones.
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Reports have recently emerged in the media about the death of a stage hand who fell to his death on Thursday 15th July 2010 whilst working at a Will Young concert at Rochester Castle in Kent.

The as yet unnamed 40 year old ‘roadie’ was helping to prepare for the stars open-air show when he plunged off the stage to his death. It is understood that the man, who reportedly suffered severe facial and head injuries, was rushed to Medway Maritime Hospital by South East Coast Ambulance Service but they were unable to save his life and he was pronounced dead on arrival after going into cardiac arrest. A spokesperson for the ambulance service gave the following statement:

“We got called to Rochester Castle to a report of a man in his 40s who had apparently fallen off the stage and had severe facial and head injuries and severe bleeding. We were on the scene within six minutes. The patient was going into cardiac arrest and he was conveyed to the Medway Maritime Hospital. We pre-alerted the hospital of his arrival, which suggests he was in quite a bad way.”
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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – road accidents are so common; they happen all the time. And we at The Injury Lawyers are used to taking on huge amounts of claims on a daily basis, and helping those who have been the victims of legal expense scams, or had their claim captured by the third party insurers. And with road accidents being so common, there is a huge array of arguments about what sort of people are better drivers, and what the best way to drive is.

So, a little off the usual topic here; according to sources from The Mirror (source), one in three men are scared by their partners driving! It’s an age old debate- who are the better drivers? Men or women? It’s a two horse race, of which people’s side is usually dictated by their own sex!

The report goes on to say that the survey results indicate that many men find themselves pressing down on imaginary controls in the foot well in response to their partner braking too late. Some even grip the sides of their seats, with one in ten claiming they have had to grab the steering wheel to avoid an accident! Remarkable results…
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