Road accidents; they’re as common as you can get! In fact, they’re the most common type of accident when it comes to claims for personal injury! And there really are a million and one ways you can be involved in a car accident and end up with an injury:

Although common anyway, according to sources from the Telegraph (source), wider cars are a “major contributory factor” in minor accidents on rural roads.  They are also reportedly an issue in urban streets where houses have been turned in to flats, causing cars to line the streets. The widening of vehicles is the result of added safety features that manufacturers have installed on their vehicles, with some models being widened by inches!
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Claiming for compensation – the idea is to put the victim in a position they were in before they had the accident. Obviously we cannot take away the injuries and the suffering – no one ever can – but we can compensate for the suffering and inconvenience with a monetary payout.

But there are certain losses that can, and should, always be recovered; or certain things that can be done to compensate the victim as much as possible. I came across a story from the Daily Mirror that can certainly fit this bill.

According to the exclusive Daily Mirror report (source), the Ministry of Defence have refused to pay for a private operation for injured war hero Mark Ormrod who lost 3 limbs in the line of duty fighting for our country. The 26 year old marine nearly died after losing both of his legs and his right arm from a Taliban landmine blast whilst on patrol in Helmand, Afghanistan, on Christmas Eve 2007.
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A horrendous medical negligence case has recently been reported in the news, where a Consultant Paediatrician at the Manchester Children’s Hospital mistakenly removed a baby’s bladder when undertaking an operation to remove a hernia (source 1, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8546501.stm and source 2).

The seven-week year old baby, referred to as ‘Baby A’ for the purposes of the investigation, was admitted to the Manchester Children’s Hospital with a hernia problem and constipation. It was discovered that her left ovary was protruding into her stomach and surgery was therefore required.

43 year-old Consultant Paediatrician, Miss Pierina Kapur, set out to remove the inguinal hernia, an operation which would normally take only 15 minutes. In this occasion, however, it took over an hour before the surgery was completed and the abdomen closed.
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Bicycle manufacturer Raleigh have pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the health and safety of one of their employees, after an accident in which one of their employees was killed at work.

The 59 year old employee died at Raleigh’s Eastwood site in 2007 after he crashed a fork lift truck causing him to be flung out of the truck, where he was then crushed by girders and rubble knocked down by the impact – causing him to suffer multiple injuries, including a fractured spine and a torn aorta valve in his heart. The worker was alive at the scene when medical staff attended, and was airlifted to Queens Medical Centre hospital where he later died from his injuries.

The employee had been an experienced driver of fork lift trucks and, although there were no witnesses to the actual accident, it is understood that he was driving the truck with the forks raised, which is against company health and safety policy, and as a result hit the top of a low doorway. However, evidence submitted in Court showed that there had been 2 other previous incidents involving fork lift trucks and a health and safety expert who examined the scene concluded that there had been a foreseeable risk of the accident happening. The depot manager admitted that he had failed to anticipate the accident; however he also accused the local authority inspectors and an independent expert of failing to spot the danger.
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The BBC News website has recently had a report about a new charity that is to be launched in North Wales for doctors to attend the scene of road and other serious accidents. The charity, which will be known as The North Wales Emergency Doctor Service, has been set up with the intention  to provide specialist support for paramedics at the scene of road and other serious accidents. This new idea follows results of research that has revealed that expert help for paramedics at the scene of the accident can lead to a better outcome for many people involved in accidents and can help save lives.

Initially, four doctors throughout the region have volunteered for the scheme, and they will work in their free time and in less busy periods for hospitals. Each of the doctors will be equipped with £15,000 worth of equipment in their cars and they will be notified at the same time as the ambulance service so that they arrive on the scene as soon as possible. It is hoped that by raising funds more doctors will sign up to the scheme and if it proves successful it is hoped that similar schemes will be set up all around the UK.
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If you’ve been in accident that wasn’t your fault, it’s always best to get advice and representation from a specialist injury lawyer. But the first problem is – who should you choose? And many are often a little afraid and concerned about instructing a lawyer because they fear being hit with massive legal fees they cannot afford.

Well fear not! Because the whole no win no fee and 100% compensation is actually true in the majority of instances! There are a few things you need to make sure of first; so here’s a little guide as to how it works and what to look for in a lawyer!
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Road traffic accidents are the most common cases when it comes to claims for personal injury. The reason is that they do happen all of the time. Britain’s roads are busy; and it’s so easy for a crash to happen. Thankfully, most collisions are minor in nature; however, there are occasions when a big crash leaves the victims with severe injuries, and sadly there are the occasions where fatalities occur.

I recently authored an article related to claims for children. So in a story I came across today which combines both a serious road traffic accident and young children, the potential for devastation can be understood.
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Have you ever been involved in an accident at your local supermarket and the accident was not your fault? Depending on the circumstances of the incident, you might be eligible to make a claim against a supermarket for compensation. This is because the supermarkets have a duty of care to abide to when dealing with members of the pubic on their premises; if they do not abide by these rules and regulations and an accident occurs, then they are negligent and liable to compensate the victim. You should not have to suffer at the hands of someone else’s mistakes, especially in places open to the public; which is the reason the legislation exists –  to ensure accidents don’t happen as a result of their negligence.

Big retail stores should always have a complaints procedure in place; they should also have an accident book and first aiders on hand. If you have been involved in an accident, always report the incident; that way, should you wish to pursue a claim for compensation, there will be records to rely on. If the store doesn’t have the necessary requirements to record the accident details, you should try and record exactly what happened and also note the steps that the staff members took in order to help you, and also record anything that you felt was missing or which contributed to cause your accident.
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It can be a very challenging role when you are working in the armed forces; we hear of more and more regiments being dispatched to the worn torn countries all over the world that are required to fight in gruelling wars.   Not only is it horrible that our soldiers have to fight in these wars but it’s even worse when you hear of the horrific tragedies that occur on what seems to be a daily basis.

It can be a very difficult experience to be injured on or off duty in a country which is not your own. Not only are your physical injuries a worry but so are the emotional scars you may have, plus any future health concerns you might have as a result of any incident.  There are also, of course, worries for your future career path and how you might financially support your family.  Depending on the circumstances of the incident you may be eligible to place a claim for compensation; there may be numerous parties liable for your military accident.
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We’ve previously discussed the onus on your employer to ensure that you have a workstation which is safe and fit for purpose. You work station i.e. your desk, chair and surrounding area, should be such that you can work day to day without causing yourself undue harm. Your desk should be set up for your own individual needs, so if you need your monitor at a certain height – it should be that way, or if you need back support – this should be provided.
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