Chemicals can be dangerous – I’m sure we all understand that! So handling dangerous chemicals is important to get right when it comes to health and safety. Any failures can of course result in some serious suffering dependant on the nature of the chemical. I suppose the obvious one we at The Injury Lawyers have a good expertise in is asbestos – we’ve authored plenty of articles on the subject!

So here’s another recent incident that has left several people needing treatment – according to sources from Sky News, a chemical leak in Deeside has left three people hospitalised and a further 11 requiring treatment (source). The leak at a Deeside industrial estate in Flintshire required the attention of North Wales Fire and Rescue at the scene, with the incident described by them as “an uncontrolled mixture of chemicals released which produced chlorine gas.”
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We have been focussing a fair bit of our time recently on those people who have been injured in an accident in a taxi and feeling at a loss because the accident was’nt their fault? If this sounds like you – then it might be best to think about placing a claim for compensation.

As a passenger in a taxi which has been involved in an accident, in the eyes of the law you are usually seen as an innocent party – that is if you had no involvement in contributing to the causes of the accident. This means that theoretically your claim should be fairly easy to pursue as there won’t be any arguments to claim that you as the victim are at fault for the accident.
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If you have had an accident due to a fault in a pavement or a road, you will be interested to know that it may be possible for you to make a claim for compensation. This is because the person /company responsible for maintaining the condition of the road or pavement may have failed in their duty of care to keep the area in a satisfactory and safe condition.

What to do: Try to find out who owns the part of land where the accident occured. If the area belongs to the council, you could first of all try writing a letter of complaint to them; this record can then be used as part of the investigations at a later date. Remember to record the accident date and time – it’s also useful if you can take photographs of the defect and also of your injuries as part of your evidence for an accident claim.
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So – what’s worse than hearing about an incident where negligence has led to an individual suffering? Well, perhaps many of you will agree that it’s worse when the individual is a child. We all know that children are generally more susceptible to bumps, scratches and scrapes; it’s a part of growing up. But when they suffer due to the negligence of another and it could have been prevented, particularly in an environment where children are known to be, it’s a little harder to hear about.

According to sources from the BBC (source), the mother of the Godstone Farm E. coli twins is suing the petting farm they came in to contact with the bacteria from for negligently causing a significant amount of suffering and damage. I am sure many of you have heard of this story, round and about, in the press over the last 6-9 months, so you may know just how serious this is.
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Anyone in to motorbikes? Or anyone in to music at all? If you are, then this article may be of interest to you. According to sources from The Guardian, songwriter and producer Daniel Lanois has been injured in a motorcycle accident, and is reportedly in intensive care in Los Angeles (source).

Lanois is well known for his works with UK rock legends U2, as well as having worked alongside the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. The accident earlier this month has been described as serious, with several of upcoming tour dates cancelled due to the severity of his injuries.

Road traffic accidents are common enough; but accidents involving motorcycles often easily occur -and the injuries sustained by the rider are usually always quite severe. We drivers know well enough the importance of checking roads we are merging on to (look, look, and then look again; and again for good measure!), checking our blind spots when switching lanes or overtaking, and looking out in general for motorcyclists on the road. They are harder to spot – so we must take extra care in looking out for them. We have all surely seen the Think Bike adverts on the TV – for me, they really hit home!
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It has been released this week by the BBC that three companies have been convicted of breeching Health and Safety regulations and failed to protect their employees in relation to the Oil depot explosion in Buncefield. Forty three people, amongst homes and businesses were affected as a result of the explosion. The explosion was heard 125 miles away and it has been reported that a huge vapour cloud ignited after 250,000 litres of petrol leaked from a tank. (source)

Employers, by law, must adhere to Health and Safety regulations this can be anything from ensuring their employees have the correct equipment at work to ensuring workplaces are clear from obstruction that may lead to harm. Employers have a duty of care to their employees to ensure that they do not come into contact with any hazardous situations.
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Had an accident in a taxi? Perhaps you were being taken to work, or dropped off after a good night out on the town, and you’ve ended up in a crash! Well, you may not know that as a passenger, you more than likely have a successful claim for compensation – so here’s why.

Road traffic accidents are straight forward enough; normally it’s relatively simple to establish which of the vehicles involved was responsible for the accident. If someone drives in to the rear of your car – they’re at fault. If someone pulls out of a side road and hits your car – they’re at fault. But as a passenger, there is normally very little you can do to contribute to prevent an accident – and in the vast majority of cases, you are an innocent party!
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A lady has died after receiving a lung transplant from a 30 year old smoker.  The lady was a cystic fibrosis sufferer and was 28 years old when she underwent a double lung transplant in January last year, but sadly died from pneumonia in the following July. The family were not told that the donor was a smoker. It states that the lady underwent the transplant to prolong her life expectancy as her condition deteriorated, according to the news report. (source)

If you or your family have been subject to any sort treatment from the NHS that you feel has been inadequate or negligent, or it hasn’t been explained in a clear, precise manner and you or your family has been harmed as a result, you may have a potential claim for compensation.

First of all, it would be best if you place a complaint with the NHS directly; they will make investigations into the matter. Also, try to record exactly what happened in your own words – how do you believe things went wrong? Why were you mistreated? Any evidence that you can collect will be very useful when it comes to placing a claim i.e. photographs, witness statements, dates, and times.
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Accidents happen on a daily basis and are often unpredictable. If an accident occurred when you were travelling on a train and the accident was in no way your fault, you may have a potential claim for compensation. In the eyes of the law, passengers are seen as innocent parties as usually they have not contributed to the accident.

If you or a family member has been involved in an accident on a train line, first of all it would be very useful for the accident details to be recorded. For example: try to record the time and location of the accident and also the circumstances of the accident. In all accident situations it is always advisable to attend hospital or visit your GP no matter how minor your injuries may seem. This also means that a log of details will be kept on your medical records which could prove to be very useful should you choose to pursue a claim for compensation.

It is advisable to place a complaint with the train company so that the circumstances of the event can be investigated and hopefully prevented from occurring again. It also provides a record for the insurers to investigate.
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The NHS – it’s no secret that they’re fighting a losing battle. And I come across too many stories in the news of NHS failures that have lead to serious consequences for the victims involved. Although it’s a struggle enough for them, there are still instances of such minor failures that can have big impacts; and it begs the question – how do such little errors end up being made?

Well, this next story may shock you a little. Although the consequences haven’t been too serious, the potential for disaster is evident. According to sources from The Daily Mirror, 63 year old cancer patient Alan Campbell was refused an appointment over the phone… because the surgery claimed he is dead. Yes, that’s right; the NHS Operator refused him an appointment because, and I quote from the source, “Our records show you are deceased”. They could help no further.
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