Published in Truckstop News December 2011.

This month Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers HOW TO KEEP TRUCK DRIVERS SAFE ON THE ROADS.

Highways Agency statistics indicate that HGVs are involved in about a quarter of all road accidents, even though when looking at the overall makeup of the traffic on the UK’s roads, this vehicle type equates to a much lower proportion than 25%.

Employers have a duty towards their drivers to ensure, as far as reasonably practical, the health and safety of the employee and also that neither they nor anyone else affected by their presence on the road will come to harm.

To assist with this, employers must have in place a health and safety policy that can be accessed by their drivers.  Indeed the drivers should be consulted when the policy is formulated, and once in place they should be provided with appropriate training so that the risk of an accident occurring is minimised.  This is in addition to the usual steps that should be taken to ensure vehicles are roadworthy.

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 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 CV Driver April 2011.

This is the fourth 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 how different companies view accident claims, and the tactics used by some to encourage injured victims to deal direct with them.

Published in CV Driver May 2011.

This is the fifth 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 current rules about who pays the legal costs in an accident claim, but warns that the clock is now ticking as the rules are soon to be changed.

Published in Motorcycle Monthly April 2011. 

It’s happened.  You’ve had a road accident.  But what do you do now?  MCM has the answers…

In the second of a two-part feature, solicitor and biker Steven Hinchliffe outlines when and how to make claims for any personal injury and property damage following a road accident, and considers the basic elements that need to exist for the claim to be successful.

WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACCIDENT?

For a compensation claim to be successful, you must show that the accident has occurred because of the negligence or fault of the other driver or road user.  If their “duty of care” to you is breached and as a result you are injured, then it is highly likely that you will have grounds to recover compensation.