The boss of a fireworks company has been found guilty of manslaughter following the deaths of two fire-fighters due to the dangerous storage of the explosive pyrotechnics, the BBC has reported (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/8412747.stm).

Company owner Martin Winter, 52, was found to be grossly negligent in using the container which was prone to exploding should a fire break out. Martin has been convicted of manslaughter, and the jury are currently debating over his son Nathan Winter, 25, who could face the same conviction. Both have denied the charges brought against them.

The company itself, now named Alpha Fireworks Limited, has been found guilty of two counts of health and safety breaches with the prosecution team against Winter’s alleging he was well aware of the hazards in using the metal container for storage, and knew full well the company’s license did not authorise use of the container in question.
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Can sleep walking be dangerous for us or anyone around us?

This was such the case for Christine Thomas when her husband killed her ‘during a dream’.

The couple had been together for 40 years and enjoyed a happy marriage. In July 2008 the couple decided to take a holiday in their motor home to Aberporth, Wales.

During the night Brian Thomas dreamt that intruders had broken in to their motor home and he was fighting them to get out. Earlier in the night a group of young individuals had come in to the car park screeching their breaks and tyres. Mr and Mrs Thomas moved their motor home to the lower car park in order to have some peace and quiet but during the night Mr Thomas experienced dreams that he was being attacked and as a result he killed his wife.
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Dog bite claims can be particularly serious and happen more often than you would probably imagine.

If you are attacked by a dog that has not been appropriately controlled then you may be entitled to bring a compensation claim for the injuries you have sustained.

The owner of the dog has a duty of care to ensure that their dog does not cause harm to others around them.

Under the Animals Act 1971; strict liability in the law of tort (negligence) is applied if it is foreseeable that an animal can come to cause injury to another person, i.e. if the owner knows the vicious nature of their own pet.
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“It was a miracle none of them was badly hurt or killed…” – this is the general consensus following the story of the bus roof that ripped off like the top of a tin can after trying to get under a low bridge, the Sun has reported (source).

The bus was full of young children, of which 17 age 9 to 10 year olds escaped with minor injuries and remarkably no one was seriously hurt. A witness has reportedly stated “it’s a good job they were only little kids – if they were taller it would have taken their heads off!”

It is reported there were 52 children and teachers on the bus in total, with 10 being taken to hospital and seven treated at the scene. Eye witnesses state there were children screaming, crying and some even bleeding.  The group were on a day trip to the New Walk Museum in Leicester when the accident occurred.
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The AA has stated that half of the UK’s local authorities only have enough road salt for six days of freezing.

According to the BBC, last year’s heavy winter has severely depleted supplies and means that some councils are having to borrow from others. The AA stated that it had been advised that local councils have approximately 250,000 tonnes less road salt in stock than they had ten years ago.

Icy roads are a major cause of road traffic accidents during the winter months and it is vital that councils are able to grit roads to limits skidding vehicles and people losing control. Criticism has been put to the council that they should have larger quantities of salt in reserve or they risk being vulnerable to the kind of chaos that was experienced on roads last year.
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An inquest in to the death of baby Ebony Mccall has stated that the standards of care on the maternity ward at Milton Keynes General Hospital were below what they should have been. According to the BBC, Ebony suffered from a faint heartbeat after being born by caesarean section and died in May 2009.

Her mother, Amanda Mccall, suffered from several medical conditions including cardiac disease.  Ms Mccall was initially denied a Caesarean birth because it was deemed too risky. She had been admitted with severe stomach pains and this should have made her a high risk patient, and she should have been afforded one to one midwife care. However, this was not granted due to a lack of staffing at the hospital and her daughter Ebony was born with an erratic heartbeat, a pathologist revealed that she had suffered from oxygen deprivation.

With additional care Ms Mccall may have been able to have a caesarean at an earlier stage and taking in to account her medical history, her pregnancy should have been “consultant led at the outset”, according to consultant Anthony Stock.
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I have authored a couple of articles recently regarding drink driving and the devastating effects; something which is all the more evident during the festive season. So, here’s a little more on dangerous driving for you!

Mobile Phones

According to a BBC report (source) the figure for people using mobile phones behind the wheel of a vehicle has, interestingly and rather worryingly, increased since tougher penalties were imposed back in 2006. The figure comes from the Transport Research Laboratory which claims 2.6% of drivers used mobile phones whilst driving when the fine rose to £60 with the possibility of three points on the drivers licence in 2006, compared to the figure now which stands at 2.8%. OK, so nominally it’s a small increase; but it’s still an increase nonetheless…
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We’ve all been hearing lately about how global warming is affecting the world, and our seasons and climates are going to be all messed up in years to come as the earth becomes warmer.

Well despite all of this, there have been weather warnings plastered over the news! Sky news reports that ‘Britain is going to face freezing temperatures this weekend’

Not only was November reported as the wettest November ion history, but frosts throughout Britain and wintry showers have been predicted for the next days to come.
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I personally, and I am sure many of you reading this, have the utmost respect for our countries armed forces given the difficulty and danger in the jobs they face on a day to day basis and the conflicts they serve in. Despite the debate behind the wars currently being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is still important to (irrelevant of one’s agreement or disagreement to the wars) get behind our troops and support them as much as we can.

So it’s sad to hear when those in charge of our countries brave servicemen and women are in the news for  squandering cash to save payouts!

According to the mirror.co.uk (source) it is reported that the Defence Chiefs spent a staggering £90,000 in trying to slash £56,000 in payouts to two wounded soldiers! According to the report, this sum includes massive £28,000 in barristers fees for two days work.
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The owner of a tanning salon where a schoolgirl suffered severe burns has been ordered to pay £6,000 in costs.

According to the BBC, Mr James Hadley admitted to five health and safety breaches at the Lextan Salon in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan. The court was keen to stress that the injuries suffered by the girl were not as a direct result of the offences and that the charges levelled at Mr Hadley did not relate to her injury but Judge John Charles made it very clear that there was a degree of recklessness in operating an unmanned salon.

The injured girl suffered first degree burns after remaining on a tanning machine for 19 minutes and had to remain in hospital overnight following the incident. This in turn prompted the inspection of the premises.
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