The BBC have reported on the case of Mark Thomas, aged 20, whom developed meningitis following an ear infection in 2002.

The ear infection lead to further complications and his family rushed him to Walsall manor hospital where blood tests were taken. Mr Thomas was sent home and his test results were not reviewed for 5 days; even on review of the test results he was not called back for treatment.

Mr Thomas later developed pneumococcal meningitis and by the time he was diagnosed he had already suffered neurological injury.

Medical expert’s have confirmed that if the results had been reviewed and acted upon promptly then he could have received the appropriate antibiotic treatment and would not have suffered brain damage.
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There is a clear reason why driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics is illegal; a person driving under the influence is in no way in full control of their vehicle. It’s no surprise therefore why so many accidents are caused as a result of a driver under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, and it’s the time of year when police step up their game to catch the Christmas and New Year law breakers.

And the results of a road traffic accident involving drink or drugs are often devastating, and sadly fatal.

The BBC  have reported of the story of a teenager left paralysed after a crash that killed three other teenagers due to the driver being under the influence of alcohol (source).
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Nearly one in 10 hospital prescriptions contain an error, according to research conducted at the University of Manchester.

According to the BBC, the mistakes in the prescriptions range from the minor to the potentially lethal, however the General Medical Council (or GMC) has found that very few of the errors made would cause serious harm.

The study was conducted after concerns that novice doctors were making prescription errors. However, the study showed that they were no more responsible than experienced doctors.

Of 124,260 prescriptions examined across 19 hospitals, just under 9% contained errors. The vast majority of the errors were caught and corrected before reaching the patient however, of the 11,077 errors which were discovered, 2% of them contained potentially lethal instructions.
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So you’re thinking that is possibly one of the most random questions you have ever been asked – “Really” how dangerous can cutting the lawn be unless of course its at the control of the crazy Lawnmower man from that Pierce Brosnan movie of the same name?

Well, Lawnmower accidents, are more common and more serious than you might first think.

We all do it, every year the minute the weather turns nice we’re straight out there cutting the grass back and keeping it neat.

It is usually a job taken up by our other half’s admittedly (i.e. men) but should we all be aware of the risks?
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Any products we purchase must be safe to use and to a sufficient standard, with most products nowadays undergoing rigorous health and safety testing to ensure no one can come to harm from its use.

It’s an important element in the Sale of Goods and Services Act 1982 (source), and is even more important when the product is for infant use.

Sky news has reported of a call for a ban on a particular type of baby bottle that contains a chemical that is believed to be linked with breast cancer among other conditions (source). The National Childbirth Trust claims there is “compelling evidence” that the chemical can lead to serious health conditions with some experts believing children are even more vulnerable to the effects.
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Two men have each been fined £2000 after 10 people were hurt following the collapse of a fairground ride in Suffolk. Fairground owner Walter Shufflebottom was found guilty of failing to properly maintain the fairground, while Inspector Frederick Meakin, of the Fairground Inspection Services in Leicestershire, had examined the ride on which the incident occurred on two occasions.

According to the BBC, both men admitted safety breaches over the incident, which occurred in Long Melford in November 2007.

The incident involved several cars on the Hellraiser ride coming loose and crashing in to each other. One of the injured parties, a woman aged 24, suffered multiple injuries including broken ribs.
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A four-year-old boy has been killed after he was mauled by an illegal breed of dog. The dog was a “pitbull-terrier type” and as such was banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act. John Paul Massey died from head and neck injuries following the attack at his grandmother’s home in Wavertree.

According to the BBC, his grandmother, Helen Foulkes, was also attacked as she tried to protect her grandson from the dog and received bites to her legs and body. Merseyside police have been forced to apologise, as they failed to follow up the complaints of a housing officer, who suspected illegal dog breeding was taking place. The police are alleged to have stated that it was not a police matter.
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Road traffic accidents are the more common cases of personal injury claims. We at The Injury Lawyers don’t half see a lot of them!

Road accidents are common; and no matter how big or small the incident, the injuries a victim of a negligent driver can suffer can be sometimes be quite serious.

Here are some common examples of where you may stand should you be injured in an accident:
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A new law will come in to effect in Scotland this week preventing under 18s using sunbeds.

According to the BBC, the Public Health Act will see an end to unmanned, coin operated tanning salons and a ban on the sale or hire of sunbeds to those under 18, with fines handed out for those caught flouting the law.

This comes on the back of statistics stating that skin cancer rates have quadrupled over the past 30 years.

Cancer Research UK are delighted with the ruling and are now lobbying for further legislation to cover the rest of the UK.

Sarah Woolnough, head of Policy at Cancer Research stated that “…sunbeds [are] now classified in the highest risk category for cancer” and that there is “…strong scientific evidence to show the damage that they are causing to skin- both increasing skin cancer risk and ageing the skin.”
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The Health Protection Agency is investigating a number of cases of E. Coli O157 in travellers returning from Benidorm in Spain. According to the BBC, the Health Protection Agency (or HPA) have already been made aware of 14 confirmed cases of gastrointestinal infection.

Four of those suffering have been admitted to hospitals in the UK as a result of the bacteria, two of whom have now been discharged.

The HPA is now working in conjunction with the Spanish health authorities to investigate the illness and plans to interview the confirmed sufferers to try and identify a possible source which may have led to the outbreak of the illness.

E. Coli O157 is a particularly nasty strain of bacteria and while some people may be unaffected, others may suffer from mild or bloody diarrhoea. However, it is possible that some people may suffer from kidney failure. Children are the most vulnerable in this respect.
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