I think the majority of people out there have a basic understanding of what personal injury is about. But I think it’s safe to say that the vast majority of people who have never made a claim perhaps share a miss-guided view of what personal injury means.

I read a lot of stories and hear a lot of people discussing their grievances against claims for personal injury in public. The old stereotypes of people tripping over curbs, falling off ladders, or slipping on a wet floor and getting thousands of pounds, and the solicitors pocketing tens of thousands of pounds in legal fees, I often hear about. But is this a fair view of personal injury claims? Well, here are a few things to consider:
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If you have had an accident at work that wasn’t your fault, you may have a potential claim for compensation. This is because whilst you are at work, your employer had a duty of care to ensure that you are not exposed to dangerous working conditions. There should be health and safety measures in place to stop a work related accident from happening.

If you are unsure if you have a valid claim, we suggest you try speaking to an independent firm of personal injury solicitors. A personal Injury solicitor will be able to assess your situation and advise you accordingly as to whether you have a successful claim or not.
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Figures released by the BBC show that children are the subject of many violent acts of crime. Not only is it disgusting that violent acts are committed on adults it’s even more horrendous to hear of children who have been subject to these types of crimes, as the child has no way of defending themselves.

Figures show that almost half of sexual abuse victims are children; out of the 19,250 recorded incidents in 2008/9, 47% of these incidents involved the child as the victim. 30% of robbery victims were minors, and also 111,000 violent crimes were committed against under 18’s. It is also very sad to think, that out of these figures, these are only the cases which have been reported, as often the child feels too frightened to come forward. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10254922.stm

In these circumstances it can be a very difficult and upsetting time. No matter what you do, the awful memories of these incidents can never be erased. It is possible to make a claim for compensation in these types of situations. Again it will probably not make things better but at least the person living through these horrible times may gain some peace of mind in knowing that they can claim for some financial stability. These types of claims are dealt with by a government body known as the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (or CICA).
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Acute appendicitis is sudden inflammation of the appendix, usually caused by an obstruction. It is the most common cause of acute abdominal pain in the UK, meaning that about 10% of the population will develop appendicitis at some point – most commonly between the ages of 10-20. If it is not suspected, or diagnosed promptly, it can rupture and cause a severe, life threatening infection. For this reason, it should always be at the front of any physician or surgeon’s mind.

In one recent case, a patient was admitted to an A+E department with a short history of diarrhoea and vomiting. He was promptly and thoroughly assessed and was diagnosed as having a case of gastroenteritis, with the warning that if his symptoms deteriorated, he should seek further medical advice.

Unfortunately, by the next day, the patient’s symptoms had worsened and he was feeling feverish and had developed severe abdominal pain. When he saw his GP, and informed him of the diagnosis, the doctor was falsely reassured by the previous findings and recommended analgesia and to drink more fluids. A urine test showed blood which may have indicated a urinary tract infection, so antibiotics were also prescribed. At no point did the doctor repeat the abdominal exam which may have provided valuable information.
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It’s no secret that in many areas the state of Britain’s roads are substandard. The cold snap we endured this winter probably didn’t help! Most pot holes are created by water seeping in to cracks in the highway surface. If the water freezes, it subsequently expands, putting pressure on the concrete and causing it to break.  But who is responsible for it all, and what are the duties they have?

Most public highways are the responsibility of the local council to regularly inspect and maintain them, and ensure they are not a potential hazard people using them. If the local authority fails to do this, then they are liable to pay compensation to anyone suffering an injury through the state of the highways. So here are a few examples:
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It was reported in the media on 22/5/10 that Republic of Ireland international footballer Shane Duffy recently suffered a life threatening injury during a training match which experts have claimed was such a ‘freak injury’ that it might not occur again for another 100 years.

Duffy, 18, who also plays for Everton FC, was representing his country in a training match against an Irish amateur team when he collided with opposition goalkeeper, Adrian Walsh, and suffered a laceration to his liver. Medics rushed onto the pitch to attend the stricken player and he was then rushed to Mater Hospital in Dublin where he underwent emergency surgery performed by surgeon Gerry McEntee. It is understood that the injury had caused him to suffer massive internal bleeding and that he lost over two thirds of his blood supply.

The Republic of Ireland’s team surgeon Professor O’Byrne praised the hospital’s staff for their expertise and swift actions, which he believed saved the teenagers life, and commented that the young player had “Collided with a player in a way that you would see thousands of times in football matches. It was a freak injury that in another 100 years of medicine, we may never see again.”
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I’ve said it before, and I shall say it again; road traffic accidents are a common occurrence – they do happen all of the time. It’s always a tragedy to hear of a severe car crash resulting in life altering or even fatal injuries, but it’s even harder to hear when a crash is caused by the absolute selfishness of a drink driver.

There’s a very good reason why there is a drink drive limit – alcohol affects our brain and impairs our judgement and cognitive ability; both vital requirements to have working properly when driving. And we all know that breaching the safe alcohol limit is against the law for the very good reason that its puts the driver and other people on the roads in serious danger.

So why do people still do it!? And what are the tragic consequences…
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If you have been involved in a road traffic accident, you have probably sustained a whiplash injury. If the accident wasn’t your fault, you could be entitled to claim for compensation. Whiplash injuries may not be so obvious straight away. You may have some aches and pains initially but after a matter of weeks injuries can even leave clients bed bound.

If you have had a whiplash injury you will probably find that you are contacted by a number of companies trying to persuade you to claim with them. Try not to be persuaded by insurance or claims management companies; this is because your claim will be under settled in a big way! Insurances companies for the party at fault will probably contact you saying that they can settle you claim in a matter of weeks, and they may even give you an amount they are willing to pay you there and then.
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Most of us find that when attending our GP surgery, we often see a number of different GPs and medical practitioners and have no continuity of care.

Often this is frustrating and means that we have to repeat our medical history on every visit and we never build up a relationship with our GP. But sometimes this problem can lead to a misdiagnosis when GPs are unfamiliar with the patient’s past medical history.

A case has come to light recently whereby the failure of a GP to properly read and understand the patient’s medical records and history has led to a misdiagnosis and a failure to spot a condition, which without immediate treatment at the onset of symptoms, leaves the sufferer with very serious permanent symptoms.
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The majority of you reading this blog will have probably already passed your driving test and most likely would hate to have to put through the whole rigmarole ever again! Nerve racking, stressful, and expensive are just a few memories that spring to my mind when thinking back! It’s true what they say as well…you never really know how to drive until you’ve passed your test and you’re out on the roads alone.

What do you make of this then?

I read recently on the Daily Mails website that the Driving Standards Agency has ‘revamped’ the driving test once again and this will be coming in to place from 4^th October this year.
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