The Health and Safety Commission Report for 2006/7 shows that the provisional figure for the number of workers who were fatally injured in an accident at work during 2006/07 is 241.  This corresponds to a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 workers.  In 2005/06 the figure was 217, ie 0.72 per 100,000 workers, which was the lowest annual rate recorded.

Even though fatal accidents are generally decreasing, the rate of that decrease has slowed over the last 15 years, and in fact there has been very little change during the last 5 years.

The agricultural and construction industries account for around 46% of all fatal work accidents.

Falling from a height is the most common type of accident, and in 2006/7 resulted in 19% of the recorded fatalities.  However, over the last 10 years there has been a significant reduction in the severity of injuries in this area.

The second most common type of accident is being struck either by a moving or falling object, or by a moving vehicle.

In 2006/7 90 members of the public were also fatally injured in accidents (excluding railway related incidents), and this level of incidents has not significantly changed over recent years.

COMMENT:-

Although the current Report indicates a general decrease in accident at work situations where the injury ultimately proves to be fatal, even minor accidents can result in the worker taking time off and thereby losing income, which can put great strain on family life.  However, where the injury is fatal, the effect on the family is devastating.

It remains important for employers and workers alike to take great care to ensure safety at work.  A worker who is injured in an accident may be able to pursue a personal injury claim against the responsible party for their injuries and financial losses, including lost earnings.

In respect of fatal work accidents, the dependants of the deceased worker might also be able to make claims against the responsible party, but no amount of money can truly compensate for their loss.

PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM SOLICITORS:-

If you have suffered any form of accident at work, contact personal injury specialists Hinchliffes Solicitors for immediate legal advice, to find out if you are entitled to make claims for injury compensation.  All cases are dealt with on a No Win - No Fee basis and successful clients keep 100% of the compensation recovered.

Call now on 0800 138 1348 to speak direct to a personal injury lawyer or go to our Start Your Claim Now page to submit details of your personal injury claim online.

Former prisoners are to receive compensation in excess of £120,000 following claims made against the Prison Service in which they alleged they had suffered assaults and racial discrimination by prison officers.

Fifteen former inmates of Leeds Prison commenced Court proceedings in support of their claims, indicating the abuse and discrimination had taken place between 2003 and 2005, and involved beatings and failure to protect them from attacks by other prisoners.  Thirteen of the claimants also alleged discrimination and harassment on the grounds of race and religion.

At the commencement of the Court hearing, the Prison Service took the decision to settle the claims.

COMMENT:-

This is the most recent example of the Prison Service paying injury compensation in respect of claims for alleged abuse.  Previous cases include allegations against the former Young Offenders’ Institution at Portland, and against Wormwood Scrubs, where an admission was made over the attempted cover up of beatings.

This type of incident is not strictly a ‘personal injury claim’, however there are many situations where a claim following an intentional assault is dealt with in the same way, for example when a motorist intentionally uses a car as a weapon to injure someone else, or in child abuse cases.

PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM SOLICITORS:-

If you have suffered injuries in an accident or similar incident, contact personal injury specialists Hinchliffes Solicitors for immediate legal advice, to find out if you are entitled to make claims for injury compensation.  All cases are dealt with on a No Win - No Fee basis and successful clients keep 100% of the compensation recovered.

Call now on 0800 138 1348 to speak direct to a personal injury lawyer or go to our Start Your Claim Now page to submit details of your personal injury claim online.

A recent study indicates that unless their long term health is affected, people are reluctant to pursue legitimate claims for personal injury compensation for fear of being labelled “money grabbers”.

Of the people taking part in the survey, 81% felt that the country is in the grip of a US style claims culture, with 53% suggesting that claimants are purely financially motivated.  However, those same people said they would claim injury compensation following an accident if their future health and earning capacity was likely to be affected.  It seems that the more serious the consequences of an accident, the less reluctance there is to make a personal injury claim.

It also appears that those who have not been injured in an accident are more critical of people who pursue claims.  They may overlook that to a claimant earning the minimum wage even modest compensation of say £2,000 can dramatically improve their financial situation, whereas to someone with an annual salary of say £30,000 such a claim may not be worth the bother.

COMMENT:-

All commentators, including the Government, accept that there is no claims culture in the UK.  It is a myth promoted by insurance companies, with the likely aim of increasing their profits by dissuading genuine claimants from making injury compensation claims.  Their strategy may be working; as statistics show that fewer claims are made now than was the position 10 years ago.

It should be remembered that access to justice is a basic human right.  If someone has been injured because of another party’s negligence, they have a legal right to claim accident compensation for their injuries and resulting financial losses, eg lost income from incapacity to work.  No one should be made to feel uncomfortable in asserting their legal rights.

PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM SOLICITORS:-

If you have been injured in any type of accident, whether on the road, at work or elsewhere, contact personal injury specialists Hinchliffes Solicitors for immediate legal advice, to find out if you are entitled to make claims for injury compensation.  All cases are dealt with on a No Win - No Fee basis and successful Clients keep 100% of the compensation recovered.

Call now on 0800 138 1348 to speak direct to a personal injury lawyer or go to our Start Your Claim Now page to submit details of your personal injury claim online.

In excess of 6,000 people in the UK are admitted to hospital each year suffering allergic reactions, many of which are as a result of using cosmetics and hair dyes.

Baroness Finlay has recently expressed concern at the general lack of medical expertise in tackling allergies, and she recommended that the Government take remedial action.  However, leading national charity Allergy UK has pointed out that the same issues were highlighted in 2004, but nothing was done about them.

Since the 1930s people who have experienced allergic reactions to hair dyes have been making personal injury compensation claims.  The basis of such claims is often the negligence of the hairdresser in failing to follow the instructions for using the particular product.  This results in injury to their client’s hair and scalp, which can sometimes be severe and lead to extreme trauma.

COMMENT:-

Anyone using a cosmetic product or hair dye at home should carefully follow the instructions for use, which will often involve carrying out a test.  If all the suggested precautionary steps are taken, but an allergic reaction or personal injury is still suffered, claims for injury compensation could be made against the manufacturer or retailer under Product Liability Law.

If a hairdresser or beautician applies the product and problems arise due to their negligence, successful claims for compensation could be made against them.

PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM SOLICITORS:-

If you have suffered a reaction to a beauty product or had an accident related injury, contact personal injury specialists Hinchliffes Solicitors for immediate legal advice, to find out if you are entitled to make claims for injury compensation.  All cases are dealt with on a No Win - No Fee basis and successful Clients keep 100% of the compensation recovered.

Call now on 0800 138 1348 to speak direct to a personal injury lawyer or go to our Start Your Claim Now page to submit details of your personal injury claim online.

Darren Werth, the Chairman of the Claims Standards Council (CSC), has congratulated the Ministry of Justice for regulating the claims management industry.

Mr Werth indicated that the Government had done a good job with the regulation process when he said “The Government has successfully removed the cowboys from the industry; that is good news for the legal sector, insurance sector, the Government, but above all the claimant”.

However, the Insurance Fraud Bureau might argue that this is simply not the case.  They are currently investigating dozens of claims management companies, and also 10 firms of solicitors, in connection with allegations of insurance fraud within the claims industry, including claims that involve personal injury compensation.

COMMENT:-

The CSC is the representative body for claims management companies, and it is therefore in their and their members’ interests to promote the idea that the claims management industry is now clean and above board.

There is no doubt that the situation has improved, but there is still a long way to go before members of the public can be completely confident in using such companies to pursue their claims.  Only last week representatives of a claims management company were seen “cold calling” from house to house in Malvern, Worcestershire and which practice is in direct breach of the regulations.

Anyone who has been hurt in an accident should feel free to take advice on whether they can pursue a personal injury claim, but should consider contacting only competent and independent legal advisers.

PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM SOLICITORS:-

If you have been injured in any type of accident, contact personal injury specialists Hinchliffes Solicitors for immediate legal advice, to find out if you are entitled to make claims for injury compensation.  All cases are dealt with on a No Win - No Fee basis and successful Clients keep 100% of the compensation recovered.

Call now on 0800 138 1348 to speak direct to a personal injury lawyer or go to our Start Your Claim Now page to submit details of your personal injury claim online.