Peter Kidd’s Review of Cutting Edge: Scams, Claims and Compensation Claims, broadcast on Channel Four Thursday 25 February 2010.

The latest in a long line of instalments in Channel Four’s often controversial “Cutting Edge” Series of claims saw the programme tackle the role of Personal Injury Lawyers. The programme centred on Steve Ireland a personal injury solicitor in Liverpool and his attitude towards the process of making a personal injury claim. 

The programme’s portrayal was unfortunately bias in that confirmed many of the untrue clichés regarding the Personal Injury profession. For example one of the case studies was of a child who had fractured his toe whilst playing football at school in an uneven grate. Although the narrator did not specifically state this was a spurious claim, with its accent on the fact that the child claimant was looking to spend his money on a car and new football boots it was clear that the programme was showing that potential claimants were simply interested in bringing a claim to make a quick thousand pounds – making it clear what its makers were trying to say.
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Yes, we saw the program; and of course I couldn’t stop myself from writing about it! For those of you that don’t know what I’m talking about, the title of this article is from a recent Channel 4 television program that takes a look at both sides of the business in claiming for compensation; the innocent victims, and those alleged to be at fault for their accidents…

www.channel4.com/scams-claims-and-compensation-games

And some of the contents of the program were certainly true! Unfortunately we personal injury lawyers do on occasion get a bad rep for the work we do. But it doesn’t half make us feel good when we get a top result for a victim of an accident that wasn’t their fault!

But to discuss some of the issues in the program:
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Asbestos  -we all know, and are all aware, of the hazards  of the silicate that has been removed from countless places over the last few decades since its dangers were discovered. And there can’t be much worse than asbestos worries in schools really, can there…

According to sources form the BBC (source), a snapshot survey of 16 schools has indicated that some British schools continue to fail in meeting the legal requirements to protect children from the dangers of asbestos. The report of 16 schools showed that none of them complied with safety standards in place for managing the harmful substance – which is a concerning fact!

Teaching Unions have since called for a full audit to be carried out on the dangers of the potentially cancer-causing silicate, since government policy in place is for the management of the substance, not its removal. Reportedly however, many schools lack the resources to effectively manage asbestos, leaving them open to serious potential dangers, according to Atac (Asbestos Training and Consultancy Association). Association of Teachers and Lecturers general secretary Dr Mary Bousted has called for an independent body to be set up, to monitor and advise on the management and removal of the substance.
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A form of group “talking therapy” is a cheap, effective way to alleviate low back pain, a UK trial has shown. According to the BBC, the positive effect was still seen a year after the short six-session therapy programme, the Lancet reported.

The 600 patients taking part in the trial were also offered standard GP treatment including pain medication.

The sessions were designed to tackle unhelpful beliefs about back pain and physical activity and help patients better manage their condition.
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About 150 drivers have been caught not wearing seat belts across Dorset during a week-long crackdown by motor patrol police.

According to the BBC, those caught were fined by officers for not buckling up during the operation which took place between 15 and 21 February 2010.

During that week one backseat passenger who was not wearing a seatbelt suffered serious injuries after going through a car windscreen, police said.
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A paramedic refused to resuscitate a patient and then told a series of lies to cover his tracks, a court was told.

According to the BBC, Karl Harris told a colleague there was “no point” resuscitating Barry Baker after they were called to his home in Brighton, East Sussex, jurors heard.

Mr Baker dialled 999, and died after suffering a cardiac arrest in November 2008, Lewes Crown Court heard.

Mr Harris, 45, denies perverting the course of justice.
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Victims of the thalidomide scandal will be given extra help through a £3.4 million fund announced by the Scottish government.

According to the BBC, the money will help the 55 known survivors in Scotland adapt their homes and but specialised equipment. Health surgeon Nicola Sturgeon said many were still battling with the disabilities thalidomide had caused.

Pregnant women were prescribed the drug in the 1950s and 1960s as a treatment for morning sickness or insomnia. It was withdrawn from sale in 1961 after babies were born with limb deformities and other damage.
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A hospital in Essex where a severely disabled man died has admitted breaching health and safety laws.

According to the BBC, Kyle Flack, 20, from Stanford-le-Hope, who suffered from severe cerebral palsy, was found dead at Basildon University Hospital on 12 October 2006.

His head had become trapped in the rails around his bed, an inquest heard.
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No action is to be taken against an Ayrshire surgeon who removed the wrong kidney from a cancer patient, leaving him facing a life on dialysis.

According to the BBC, the General Medical Council (or GMC) had been considering whether to strike Riza Murat Gurun off the medical register. However, it said that a combination of factors led to the mistake. It heard that pre-operative scans had wrongly identified the tumour in the right kidney.

The GMC decided that the surgeon’s fitness to practice was not impaired. It said that it was not necessary to issue the surgeon with a formal warning.
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A stretch of coastal road in North Yorkshire is set to be closed because of the danger of landslips.

According to the BBC, temporary traffic lights have been set up on the old A165 Filey Road linking Cayton Bay and Osgodby.

A county council spokesman said: “Given the unpredictable nature of further slippage it is expected the old A165 will have to be closed very soon.”

The landslips have already led to the demolition on safety grounds of three cliff-top homes at nearby Knipe Point.
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