Archive for the '1. ALL NEWS ITEMS' Category

Published in CV Driver September 2011.

In this series of articles written by solicitor Steven Hinchliffe (owner of the specialist Personal Injury firm HINCHLIFFES SOLICITORS) he highlights the types of accidents suffered by professional drivers, where his firm has been successful in securing compensation for the injured victim.

His firm has many years of experience in handling accident claims, particularly following accidents at work and while on the road – and has recovered millions of pounds in compensation. 

Published in Truckstop News September 2011.

This month Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers the GOVERNMENT PLAN TO DENY INJURED VICTIMS THEIR RIGHT TO BE COMPENSATED.

This article outlines the current rules about who pays the legal costs in making a claim for personal injury compensation following an accident, but warns that the clock is now ticking as the Government plans to change these rules.  This could drastically affect how much of the compensation an injured person may be allowed to keep.

Currently, there are a variety of ways to fund an accident claim, but the most frequently used (and the one most advantageous to the innocent victim) is a “No Win No Fee” agreement.  This is a phrase that many people are probably very familiar with, but the way the agreements operate is not always fully understood or appreciated.  This type of arrangement is more correctly described as a Conditional Fee Agreement (“CFA”), the present form of which was introduced in 2000 by the previous Government.  At that time the aim was to ensure that full access to justice was made available to all injured people, so that even if they could not afford to pay a solicitor, they would still have the opportunity take legal advice and make a compensation claim.

Published in Truckstop News August 2011.

This month Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers a specific SUCCESSFUL ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT COMPENSATION CLAIM.

Continuing his review of successfully completed accident claims, Steven Hinchliffe looks at just one situation experienced by a reader of Truckstop News that resulted in an award of personal injury compensation.

All of the accident victims mentioned in these articles are actual clients of my firm, Hinchliffes Solicitors.  They have kindly given their permission for the disclosure of their details, and in particular of their real life experiences of incidents resulting in personal injury claims, and the steps taken to make a successful accident compensation claim.  All of these clients contacted my firm after seeing our details in Truckstop News – and readers may recognise some of the names referred to.

In this article I highlight a common type of road traffic accident, often referred to as a “rear end shunt”.  As with previous articles the common trend remains the effect on the individual’s life, and although using the process of law to make personal injury claims as a means of redress cannot truly compensate for the trauma and inconvenience suffered, it can assist in requiring the guilty party to provide medical treatment and rehabilitation, in addition to financial relief by way of awards of compensation.  As previously indicated, the basic aim of an accident claim is to try and return the injured party to the position that he or she would otherwise have been in had the accident not happened.

In 2011 I wrote an article for Truckfest to go in their visitor show guides for the May and July shows.  Since it covers some practical points I thought it might be helpful to reproduce it below.  To see it in full glossy colour click the pdf link below.

Truckfest Article 2011 – pdf

I’VE BEEN INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT AND NEED SOME ADVICE

Steven Hinchliffe of HINCHLIFFES SOLICITORS answers your questions about compensation claims.  His firm has years of experience in helping injured lorry drivers, their families and members of the public get their lives back on track following accidents.

Published in CV Driver July 2011.

This is the seventh in a series of articles written by solicitor Steven Hinchliffe, who is the owner and Principal of the specialist Personal Injury firm HINCHLIFFES SOLICITORS.

In these articles he will consider various issues relating to the accidents commonly suffered by professional drivers and the sometimes devastating injuries they sustain.  The firm has many years of experience in handling accident claims on behalf of injured victims – not only recovering millions of pounds in compensation, but also securing medical and other rehabilitation treatment to aid their recovery and return to normal life. 

This article outlines the main procedures that your solicitor should comply with to protect your position and achieve the right result when dealing with your accident compensation claim.

Published in Truckstop News July 2011.

This month Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors gives a REPORT OF HIS EXPERIENCES AT THE SHROPSHIRE TRUCK SHOW.

Unlike the previous articles I have written dealing with the Personal Injury Claims process, this month I reflect upon my observations after having had an exhibitors’ stand at the Shropshire Truck Show at the Oswestry Showground on 14^th and 15^th May.  If you were there you may have seen me on my firm’s stand, together with my Business Manager Nicky Hodges.

This was our first experience of exhibiting at this type of event and I was not sure what to expect.  In fact, Nicky and I were a little nervous as we had not done anything like this before.  Our worries were not helped by having to set up our stand in a howling gale during the late afternoon of Friday the 13^th!

Published in Truckstop News Summer Edition 2011.

In this issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors will consider more SUCCESSFUL ROAD ACCIDENT COMPENSATION CLAIMS.  

Continuing his review of successfully completed accident injury claims, Steven Hinchliffe looks at 2 similar types of accident experienced by readers of Truckstop News.  Each claim ultimately lead to an award of personal injury compensation.

All of the accident victims mentioned in these articles are clients of my firm, Hinchliffes Solicitors.  They have kindly given their permission for the disclosure of their details, and in particular of their real life experiences of incidents resulting in personal injury claims, and the steps taken to make a successful accident compensation claim.  All of these clients contacted my firm after seeing our details in Truckstop News – and some of the names referred to may be familiar to you.

In this article I highlight common examples of accidents that happen while driving on the UK’s roads.  As with the previous articles in this series, the common trend remains the significant effect on each person’s life and both of my clients suffered painful injuries that required medical attention.  Although using the established legal processes for making personal injury claims as a means of redress cannot truly compensate for the trauma and inconvenience suffered, in appropriate cases it can assist in requiring the guilty party to provide medical treatment and rehabilitation, in addition to financial relief by way of awards of compensation.  As previously stressed, the fundamental aim of all accident claims is to try and return the injured party to the position that he or she would otherwise have been in had the accident not happened.

Published in CV Driver June 2011.

This is the sixth in a series of articles by the specialist Personal Injury firm HINCHLIFFES SOLICITORS.  The firm has years of experience in handling accident claims on behalf of injured victims (many of them professional drivers) – not only recovering millions of pounds in compensation, but also securing medical and other rehabilitation treatment to aid their recovery and return to normal life. 

Unlike the previous articles (written by solicitor Steven Hinchliffe, the owner and Principal of the firm), this month’s article has been written by the firm’s Business Manager, Nicky Hodges and if you were at the Shropshire Truck Show at the Oswestry Showground on 14 & 15 May you will have seen both Steven and Nicky on the firm’s stand.

This was our first experience of exhibiting at this type of event and we were not sure what to expect.  In all honesty, we were a little nervous of the reaction we might get, bearing in mind the popular (and totally misconceived) perception of Personal Injury Solicitors as being fat cats, only interested in lining their own pockets.  Our worries were not helped by having to set up our stand in a howling gale during the late afternoon of Friday 13!

Published in Truckstop News June 2011.

In this issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers HOW TO AVOID TAIL LIFT ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES.

The financial consequences of reported accidents involving a fall from a vehicle (not taking into account the accidents that are not reported) show that there is an annual cost to the transport industry of over £35M, and a considerable percentage of this results from falls from truck and trailer tail lifts.  Sometimes it is only the goods that fall, perhaps onto someone below, but often it is the driver who takes a tumble.  This type of accident frequently results in some form of injury and occasionally with a catastrophic outcome.

To ease the situation, over time truck and trailer manufacturers have developed tail lift guards and also increased the slip resistance of tail lift surfaces.  However, somewhat surprisingly, it is not currently a legal requirement for all tail lifts to have guard rails.  Instead there is a legal responsibility on the user of the vehicle (normally the driver’s employer) to carry out a risk assessment and reach a decision whether guard rails should be provided.  Only where the height a tail lift is required to reach exceeds 2 metres, is there an actual obligation to provide handrails or safety guards.

Published in Truckstop News May 2011.

This month, Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors, considers another SUCCESSFUL TRUCK AND TRAILER ACCIDENT CLAIM.

Continuing his review of successfully completed accident injury claims, Steven Hinchliffe looks at another accident experienced by a reader of Truckstop News that resulted in an award of personal injury compensation.

All of the accident victims mentioned in these articles are actual clients of my firm, Hinchliffes Solicitors.  They have kindly given their permission for the disclosure of their details, and in particular of their real life experiences of incidents resulting in personal injury claims, and the steps taken to make a successful accident compensation claim.  All of these clients contacted my firm after seeing our details in Truckstop News – and readers may recognise some of the names referred to.

In this article I highlight just one case, but as with previous articles the common trend remains the effect on each individual’s life, and although using the process of law to make personal injury claims as a means of redress cannot truly compensate for the trauma and inconvenience suffered, it can assist in requiring the guilty party to provide medical treatment and rehabilitation, in addition to financial relief by way of awards of compensation.  As previously indicated, the basic aim of an accident claim is to try and return the injured party to the position that he or she would otherwise have been in had the accident not happened.