I was surprised to read that during a morning rush hour, earlier last month, a double decker bus had tipped over after being involved in a collision with a lorry. The accident happened in Clapham, South London and firefighters from Battersea and Wandsworth had to cut 3 passengers free!

It is understood that there were 5 serious injuries with the driver of the bus was also seriously injured in the incident.

13 other passengers were also taken to Accident and Emergency units at Chelsea and Westiminster, St Thomas’ and Charing Cross hospitals to be treated for more minor injuries.
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Generally when it comes to a victim claiming for compensation, the damages (money) awarded is generated from the offending party or their representatives; which is usually the insurers for the third party defendant. So what happens when it isn’t possible to claim against the offenders? Say for example, in terror attacks abroad?

Current legislation allows victims of terrorist attacks who are injured in the UK access to compensation, but up until recently  many victims of terror attacks abroad have been unable to claim unless they are a part of a scheme in that country. According to the BBC (source) long awaited new legislation has been announced that now allows for victims of terrorist attacks abroad to access the compensation they require.

Although the measures are reportedly not retrospective, they will allow for victims as far back as 2002 to make a claim. Current campaigns relevant to this factor include the Bali attacks back in 2002, the Sharm al-Sheikh incident in 2005, and more recently the attacks in Mumbai in 2008.
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What should you do now? If you have been injured in an accident, particularly a road traffic accident, you may just be about to be hailed with offers left right and centre from companies who want to deal with your claim! And with so many lawyers out there, what should you do!!??

Well, we here at The Injury Lawyers like to do one thing for people out there who are thinking of claiming; give you free, honest, no obligation advice! So here’s some now:

No Win No Fee and 100% Compensation – How it Works….
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Councils have been left with huge bills of up to £100 million for repairs to roads following the extreme cold snap Britain has suffered.

The weather conditions have left more than one million potholes, with some craters up to a metre wide. Estimates state that there is a now one pot hole every 100 yards.

According to The Mirror, in the worst hit areas these potholes are equivalent to craters, with huge drops befalling cars that try and negotiate through them. This has already led to damaged exhausts and suspensions, and numerous punctures.
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Sky News heard that thousands of holiday makers will be stranded as the low budget airline formally known as globspan group PLC has gone bust!

The Edinburgh based airline has gone into administration and their administrators PriceWaterhousCoopers (PWC) confirmed they have failed to secure a new investor.

Not only will passengers be stranded, but over 800 employers will lose their jobs.

It is estimated that 4,5000 passengers alone are in Egypt and the Mediterranean and there are no flights home with the Airline.
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The government has issued a formal apology to the victims of the thalidomide scandal in respite efforts following the harrowing affects the drug has had on the victims, according to the BBC (source).

Health minister Mike O’Brien on behalf of the government expressed “sincere regret” and “deep sympathy” to the hundreds of victims of the German developed drug which was used in the 1950’s and 60’s to help pregnant women with insomnia and morning sickness.

It was quite a big story in the last contrary so I am sure many of you are aware of the devastating effects the drug’s use had on the children born from mothers using the drug. Hundreds of children were born with severe limb deformities and internal damage, and the government has promised more money to be made available to the remaining 466 survivors.  Mr O’Brien went on to say that the government acknowledges “physical hardship and the emotional difficulties that have faced both the children affected and their families as a result of this drug, and the challenges that many continue to endure often on a daily basis.”
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A man died in Derbyshire after he was prescribed a drug which he was known to be allergic to, an inquest heard yesterday.

According to the BBC, Mr Dennis Aucote, 57, died in March 2008 after suffering an allergic reaction to the drug ibuprofen. Mr Aucote’s doctor’s surgery apparently mixed up his medical notes with those of another patient, a Mr Dennis Allcote. However, Mr Aucote’s medical notes were not entirely clear as to his allergies in any case.

However, before prescribing the drug, Mr Aucote’s GP Dr Andrew Hignett failed to ask him about any allergies.

The court was told that Mr Aucote hurt his shoulder and made an appointment to see his doctor regarding his injuries.  Dr Hignett is alleged to have been looking at Mr Allcote’s medical notes, not Mr Aucote’s, and prescribed ibuprofen for the injury. Mr Aucote went to a chemist, collected the drugs and took one tablet in his home before suffering a violent reaction. He died shortly afterwards.
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As I am sure you are aware, we have authored a few articles over the last few weeks on the weather and discussed some useful driving advice in these times of perilous motor conditions! But not all drivers out there appear to be taking heed of the safety warnings and advice that have been plastered all over the news in recent weeks!

According to sources form the Daily Mail (source) police were gobsmacked as they witnessed an elderly motorist driving through the snow with only a small peephole to look out from! Her vehicle was so covered in snow it resembled a frosted topped desert!

The motorist was spotted and pulled over by police driving in hazardous icy conditions with a thick layer of snow and ice covering the majority of the windscreen of her blue Nissan; attending traffic officers kindly provided the elderly lady, whom had nipped out to purchase some food, with an ice scraper! Nearby pedestrians were stunned as they watched her struggle to see out of the small peephole in the windscreen, and the images taken by Devon Police are now being used to remind drivers to use common sense and clear their vehicles of snow and ice before travelling.
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Statistics show that young drivers, particularly men, are more likely to be involved in car accidents right through their 20’s. Younger drivers are thought to have faster reaction times and the ability to handle their vehicles and so it is thought that other factors pose the risk to the ‘youngsters’:

• Younger men have developed a name for themselves as boy races.
• They are more likely to drink drive / drive after taking drugs
• Younger drivers and their passengers are less likely to wear seatbelts
• Younger drivers tend to buy older cars or new cars that are small and not as safe in an accident
• They have a sense of indestructibility and drive like’ bat out of hell’ down familiar roads.
• Confidence and cockiness get the better of them when they take unnecessary risks overtaking though impatience.

Although statistics show the number of people dying on the road has seriously reduced, the number of younger drivers dying from car accidents is still worryingly high.
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A campaign by a Welsh MP to ban the use of tanning salon sunbeds by under-18s is receiving backing from the government and has been lent support by Nicola Roberts, a member of pop group Girls Aloud.

According to the BBC, the singer plans to make a documentary highlighting the dangers of the tanning industry.

Health secretary Andy Burnham said the scientific evidence of harm to skin and a link to skin cancer was clear and the a bill has been put forward by Cardiff North MP Julie Morgan to get the use of salons by under-18s banned.
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