Below is an article which appeared recently in the Worcester Evening News but frankly it could have been in any local or national newspaper.  It is another example of an ill informed MP jumping on the anti claims bandwagon by attacking people who make personal injury compensation claims.  It must not be forgotten that they did not ask to be injured and compensation is only awarded where the other party can be shown to be at fault.  Fraud must be stamped out and only proper claims proceed but anyone who is persuaded that insurance companies will lower their premiums if claims are curtailed is extremely naive.  To be fair to the Worcester Evening News they asked for my comments and they faithfully reproduced them.  Here is the article as printed:-

BEGINS

As increased whiplash claims are blamed for spiralling costs in car insurance, Worcester’s MP is calling for a crackdown on the compensation payouts that are proving a real pain in the neck for motorists.

Although the number of casualties in road accidents has fallen by almost 25 per cent since 2005, the number of insurance injury claims has doubled, the Government’s transport committee announced this week.

Published in CV Driver Winter 2011/12.

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 compensationfor 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 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 Truckstop News December 2011.

This month Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers another SUCCESSFUL ACCIDENT AT WORK 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 the consequences of work related accidents occurring because of defects with the roller shutter doors on both trucks and trailers, which often come to light when the doors are being closed.  As with previous articles the common trend remains the effect on the injured person’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.

Published in CV Driver November 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 November 2011.

In this issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers THE CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS INVOLVING CURTAIN SIDED TRAILERS.

In this article, Steven Hinchliffe considers the accidents suffered by drivers and others who work with curtain sided trailers, and the factors that contribute to their injuries.  This is a popular type of trailer offering transport companies great opportunities for flexibility in the carriage of goods, but there is a downside to their use as it provides a relatively flimsy structure compared to a standard, rear loading trailer constructed of hard panels.

However, if a few standard safety issues are considered by all those involved, the chances of an accident occurring could be greatly reduced.

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!