Summer is finally here and we are all enjoying the recent hot weather and hoping that this is going to last throughout July, August and beyond. With the 6 weeks school holidays fast approaching I’m sure many people will be looking at ways to entertain their children and one popular way in which to do this would be to hire a bouncy castle, particularly for summer birthday parties.

However due to the nature of bouncy castles there is always risk of injury and it is important that parents and guardians who are thinking of hiring these types of inflatables do properly think of the risks involved and be aware of the required level of care and supervision.
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Whenever you are seen by a medical practitioner, you should always make sure that the practitioner is aware of any drugs that you may be taking which could effect the treatment you are given. If this is not done, it could have devastating effects.

In one case reported in May 2010 by the Medical Protection Society, a 30-year old seemingly fit and healthy looking male was actually being treated with an immunosuppressive for his rheumatoid arthritis. Unrelated to this, he attended the A&E department of his local hospital with symptoms of an itchy rash and a general lack of energy.

The junior doctor who saw the patient recognised the rash as chicken pox and noted that he had not suffered with this common disease in his childhood. The doctor informed the patient of his diagnosis and advised him to stay at home and take paracetamol and use calamine lotion to reduce the itch. At no point did he check what prescription medications the patient may be taking.
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With the long, and seemingly never ending, recession, increased petrol prices and running costs for cars, and the greener view of our planet, it’s not surprising that there seem to be more bicycles on the roads. But bicycles are slow and hard to spot, and drivers can be impatient! So bicycle accidents do of course happen; and just with motorcycle accidents, the injuries the victims can sustain can be quite awful – and claims for compensation can be made.

But on occasions when I review the recent news in search of ideas for my next article, I find a story that can only be described as out of the ordinary. So here’s one – of an unusual cycle incident that could warrant a claim for compensation – but it’s certainly no accident we’re looking at here!
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Burns and scalding can be very nasty injuries often leading to permanent scarring. Many people who have suffered from either injury can often carry physiological injuries too, believing that in some way it was their fault that they sustained an injury but actually this is very often untrue.

People who work in an environment that uses hot substances are more likely to suffer from a burn or scald but your employer should provide suitable equipment to prevent this from happening such as protective clothing and gloves. Plus any equipment that the hot substance is kept in should aim to protect an employee as well.
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If you have had an accident in a taxi, you may be wondering what you can do. If you were the passenger in the vehicle it may seem unfair that you have experienced injury and loss because of someone else’s fault.

Sounds familiar to you? Then perhaps you should consider placing a claim for compensation. As a passenger in a taxi, it’s more than likely that you had no influence over the accident and therefore, in the eyes of the law, you are considered an innocent party. This in theory should mean that your claim for compensation is fairly straight forward as it won’t be difficult to prove it was someone else’s fault.

You should always try to record the circumstances of the accident as soon after the event as possible, so that everything is still fresh in your mind. Take details of any people who may have witnessed your accident,  obtain details of all parties  involved such as the vehicle registration, names, taxi driver number and company the taxi driver works for. All this information will be very useful in your claim for compensation.
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Choosing a solicitor is a big decision; and it’s a decision all claimants should take some time to consider. But there are certain alleys in road accident claims you should avoid – and now, this is even more important!

At the end of April this year, the protocol for road accidents changed. A road accident is submitted and dealt with through an online portal established by the Ministry of Justice that we solicitors and the insurers progress the claims through. Generally, it’s a great new system, as it makes the whole process a lot quicker. But we have found a significant flaw that we hope to be rectified shortly. According to the powers that be for the process, changing your solicitor part way through a claim, currently, cannot be done – So why is this a problem?
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I don’t know about you but I find that we are always being told different things following more and more research into back ache and to be quite frank, never know whether we are coming or going.

Many of us have suffered with back pain at some point in our lives; for many of us it can be severe and debilitating with a life of constant suffering.

We see experts, physiotherapists, chiropractors etc and what is the one thing they all reiterate? It is important to maintain a good posture at all times as poor posture is the most common cause of back pain amongst us.
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As we all know Social Networking Sites are one of the Internets most trafficked places in order to contact friends, family and to meet new people, but just how many people are aware of the dangers and incidents that these types of sites can and have caused?

As specialist Personal Injury Lawyers we deal with all kinds of Personal Injury claims. One type of claim we deal with is CICA claims, also known as Criminal Injury Compensation Association claims. These types of claims are for victims of assault, shootings, attacks and many other violent acts.

A lot of us don’t realise what kind of issues can be caused by Facebook. A recent story from the Independent reads; “A 16-year-old boy who fatally stabbed a former friend over a “loss of face” after they traded insults on Facebook was detained for at least 14 years today.” source
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It’s a big question – and the answer, we say, is yes! But of course it’s always the choice of the individual as to whether they wish to claim for compensation or not.

When it comes down to it, if you are injured in an accident that was not your fault, but the fault of another person or a company, you are normally entitled to claim for compensation. For example – if a driver drives in to the back of your car because they’ve failed to stop in time; you can claim for compensation from them. If you slip in a supermarket because of water on the aisles; you can claim for compensation. If you are injured at work because you were not provided with adequate personal protective equipment; you can claim for compensation.
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Any personal injury lawyer will tell you that a claimant has only 3 years to bring a claim to court. If it is not brought within this time, the claim is barred from being brought at court.

However, this time limit does not necessarily run from the time when the negligence claimed for actually occurred. The time actually runs from the date of the cause of the action or from the date of knowledge of the negligence, whichever is the later. In cases such as car crash claims, this distinction is not often important as those involved in the accident are usually aware of it as soon as it occurs. However, this can be a very important distinction in cases of medical negligence where you may be unaware of your doctor’s negligence for some time.
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