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.
Read More

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.
Read More

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.”
Read More

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.
Read More

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.”
Read More

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…
Read More

According to the BBC, the company, Tregroes Waffle Bakery Limited was fined £1750 and also ordered to pay costs at Llanelli magistrates’ court.

The worker who fell injured herself in the accident, suffering amongst other injuries, a fractured rib as she was on a structural girder used for access to cleaning.

Health and Safety Executive inspector Scott Mckinnon stated that the worker had been “exposed to unnecessary risk.”

The employee was cleaning the side of a flour hopper at the factory on 28 November 2008 when the incident occurred. In the fall she sustained a fractured rib, bruising and a cut leg.
Read More

Most people enjoy going abroad on holiday and now is a popular season for taking holidays abroad. When you arrive at your destination, the least thing you expect to happen is to be involved in an accident. Usually, whilst you are on holiday, especially if you have gone as part of a package deal, you will find that you’re well looked after but sometimes, on the unfortunate occasion, you may have found that this hasn’t happened which has led to an accident.

In many instances, when you have had an accident it is because of something i.e. you fell and sustained injury because you fell over an object. If you have had an accident in the hotel complex because something was negligently left unattended then you may have a claim for compensation.

Your travel provider should have insurance to cover any accidents that may occur whilst you are abroad, this insurance covers the travel provider should you make a claim for compensation and the insurance is where your compensation fund is claimed from.
Read More

We’ve all got our excuses for eating too many chocolate bars at work haven’t we? I was too busy to stop and eat a proper lunch. Stress leads me to chocolate. I won’t be home until late so I ate a chocolate bar to keep me going.

But what if there is a scientific reason behind why we reach for the sweets and chocolates when we are sat at our computer all day?

I read a very interesting article on the Daily Mail website recently, regarding a study which has taken place in Stockholm by a Dr Chaput.
Read More

There are dangers all around us and as long as we are aware of them, sometimes they can be avoided. The most common place where accidents are likely to occur is in the workplace. We all know that accidents happen from time to time but it is the duty of your employer to ensure that the hazards and accidents are kept to a minimum.

As reported on www.safeworkers.co.uk a THIRD of all accidents in the workplace, in the UK are as a result of someone slipping on something or falling over something. This often occurs when floors aren’t cleaned properly or spillages are not reported, or when obstacles are left on the floor unattended and unmarked.
Read More