There was a fortunate escape on Monday when a school bus carrying sixty children swerved off the road in to a field near Omagh.

Despite the incident, no children were injured when the bus came off Drumlegagh Road South, Omagh.  However, this wasn’t the only incident in the area, as shortly before the bus accident a car crashed into a field on the other side of the road. According to the BBC, the vehicle contained two people, neither of whom was hurt as a result of the accident.

Initial investigations in to what caused the crashes have indicated that poor road conditions were a contributory factor.
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Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke has criticised the Department of Health over cardiac surgery costs.

According to the BBC, the cost of sending people outside Northern Ireland for heart operations has triple in the past three years.

The reasons provided for this is that the Department of Health says spending in the region of £7 million on the service helps to keep waiting lists down.
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A man was struck with his own walking stick during a robbery at his home in Newcastle.

According to the BBC, the gentleman was attacked by three intruders at his home on Beaconsfield, Newcastle. In addition, the burglars stole jewellery from the house. The incident occurred on Monday evening and the 48 year old suffered minor head injuries following the blow and the incident has been reported to police, who are requesting that anyone with information about the incident contact Northumbria Police.

Depending on the severity of his injuries this gentleman may be entitled to claim compensation via the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (or CICA) .
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The US airline Continental is set to be put on trial in France following the crash of an Air France Concorde jet 10 years ago.

According to the BBC, a wing and one engine caught fire as the Concorde jet was taking off from Paris Charles De Gaulle airport. The flight crashed down in to a hotel and all 109 individuals on board were killed, as well as four people in the hotel.

The trial is set to investigate whether or not a metal strip that allegedly fell earlier from one of Continental’s planes. Following the accident, the entire fleet of Concordes was grounded and an enquiry discovered that one of the plane’s tyres had burst and debris flew up and ruptured the jet’s fuel tank, resulting in a fuel leak which ignited, causing the accident.
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A girl starved of oxygen at birth has been awarded a £5.6 million compensation payout.

According to the BBC, Buckinghamshire hospitals NHS trust admitted responsibility for Alice Joyce’s disabilities.

Alice suffered severe brain damage as a result of oxygen starvation during her mother’s labour at Wycombe General Hospital in High Wycombe, in March 1996. As a result of the incident, Alice was diagnosed as suffering spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and delayed mental development.

The huge payout will allow for around the clock care for Alice, paying for vital equipment, therapy and also accommodation and any necessary modifications which need to be made therein.
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Breast reduction for men is becoming increasingly common, with the number of operations performed last year reaching 581. That’s an 80% increase from the 323 men who had the operation in 2008, making it the fastest growing part of the cosmetic surgery industry for the second year running.

According to the BBC, the figures come from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and one of the big contributory factors has been pressure from men’s magazines.

Male cosmetic surgery in general shot up by one fifth last year, with the top operations being nose jobs and surgery on the skin around the eyes.
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The most common question asked by client’s who have suffered a personal injury is; ‘what is my claim worth?’ Everyone wants to know what their claim is worth, what they should expect to receive with regards to compensation but what many of them will not ask is; ‘how is my claim calculated?’

Clients, on occasion, will argue that their claim is worth more than is being advised because ‘Jo Blogs’ down the road received more or ‘someone’ told them it would be worth ‘X’ amount. Many clients believe that liable Defendant’s should pay out sums of money for general inconvenience caused or as an apology for causing the incident. Unfortunately, the system does not work in this manor…so how does it work? Are there rules and guidelines in place to aid when making valuations?

The answer is yes and the guidelines in place are the ‘JSB Guidelines’.
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A street in Britain with one of the highest number of motor claims has been covered in bubble wrap to make it safer.

According to The Times, the stunt was organised by Confused.com, and took place on Somerville road in Worcester. The entire street was covered in 1,500 square feet of plastic sheeting in an attempt to “highlight the need to be careful when behind the wheel”. Nothing escaped the wrapping, with trees, pavements lampposts and cars all wrapped in the bubble wrap to protect users of the road, which is known locally as “Accident Avenue”.

The activity was partially designed as a response to the increased number claims being made on insurance policies due to accidents caused by the recent snowy conditions with Will Thomas, head of motor insurance at Confused.com stating that some insurers had seen a “41 per cent increase in claims compared with a normal non-snowy period.”
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The answer to the above question is yes, you may still make a claim for compensation for the injuries you sustained however, there may be a deduction in the amount you are awarded.

There are several things that will be taken into consideration when a judge is determining what compensation you should receive for injuries sustained following an accident whereby you were a passenger in a vehicle which was being driven by a person under the influence of alcohol..

There are certain factors which will be looked at when considering whether a deduction should be made;
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Only half of the motorways in England reach the highest standard of safety, with other major roads also falling below the highest safety targets.

According the BBC, a report into the country’s major A-roads and motorways found that they fell short in protecting people who went off the roads

The report, conducted by the Road Safety Foundation, stated that many roads could be improved easily, and that structural defects are in existence which would not be tolerated were the same to be found on train lines or runways.
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