Published in Truckstop News January 2012.

This month Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers TRAILER ACCIDENT COMPENSATION CLAIMS.

Continuing his review of successfully completed accident claims, Steven Hinchliffe looks at more situations experienced by readers of Truckstop News that ultimately lead to awards of personal injury compensation.  On this occasion the common feature is that both accidents happened while working on trailers.

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.

In this article I highlight common place situations to which many professional drivers are exposed every day when carrying out their normal duties.  When working with trailers dangerous situations often arise, many of which are reasonably foreseeable by employers, yet inadequate steps are taken to try and prevent injury to their workers.  As with the previous articles in this series, the common trend remains the significant effect on each person’s life and here 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 person to the position that he or she would otherwise have been in had the accident not happened.

Published in CV Driver November 2011.

This month we chat to CV Driver Magazine regular contributor Steven Hinchliffe of personal injury specialists Hinchliffes Solicitors.  So, over tea and toast we talk about the personal injury claims business and how important it is to seek proper and sound advice – and the process of actually making a claim.

Steven qualified as a solicitor in 1978 and formed Hinchliffes Solicitors as a specialist claimant personal injury firm in 1999 in Malvern, Worcestershire.

As Steven explains, the firm has an extremely good reputation in this specialist field, with a large proportion of the claims coming as referrals from other satisfied clients.

In relation to road transport, as a legal practice they fully understand how the industry operates and in particular how the wide variety of equipment works and how people can get injured in the work place – for example, a poorly loaded forklift truck causing injury or a depot littered with debris causing a trip when pulling a loaded pallet truck.

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 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.

Published in Motorcycle Monthly March 2011. 

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

In the first of a two part feature, solicitor and biker Steven Hinchliffe outlines some of the issues that should be considered following the unfortunate event of a road accident, plus offers guidance on the initial steps to take.

WHAT TO DO IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ACCIDENT

Before you think of anything else, switch off your bike and get away from any fuel spill.  Then take a note of relevant details: it’s useful to keep a pen and paper under your bike seat, together with a copy of your insurance certificate, for this type of situation.

If you are injured or in shock you may not be able to obtain all the information you need, or maybe overlook things in the immediate aftermath, but it is important to record as much of the following as possible:-

Published in Truckstop News March 2011.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors will consider more “READERS’ SUCCESSFUL WORK RELATED ACCIDENT CLAIMS”  

Continuing his review of successfully completed accident injury claims, Steven Hinchliffe looks at 2 completely different types of accident experienced by readers of Truckstop News, both of which occurred while they were doing their job.  Each claim ultimately lead to an award of personal injury compensation.

All of the accident victims mentioned in this series of 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.

Published in CVDriver March 2011.

This is the third 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 compensation for injuries is calculated and identifies the main financial losses that can be claimed.

Someone injured in an accident that was either partially or wholly the fault of another party is legally entitled to be compensated.  Awards of compensation made by the Courts in England and Wales are some of the lowest in Western Europe, and it is therefore essential that every avenue is explored to ensure that the injured person receives their full entitlement.