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The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has called for change of attitudes in the NHS in relation to compensation claims for the health service’s medical blunders.  Lawyers at APIL have argued that major savings could be made to the NHS if it were to cut out needless injuries and adopt a professional and efficient approach to dealing with claims when things do go wrong.

APIL’s vice-president, Neil Sugarman, has said ‘The main problem here is that the NHS has all the facts of the case at its fingertips but often fails to admit it is liable for the injury, so the injured person spends years trying to prove there was negligence, running up costs all the time, only for liability finally to be admitted at the eleventh hour.… Read more

A lady who slipped and fell down a set of steps whilst visiting a beach with her family has successfully claimed £13,500 in injury compensation.

She broke her elbow, requiring surgical insertion of metalwork. The compensation claim covered both the injury suffered, and the financial losses incurred by the lady’s husband having to spend time caring for her.… Read more

An 84 year old pensioner who fell due to a missing drain cover, suffering a large cut and bruising to his face, as well as a shoulder injury, has been awarded £6000 in injury compensation from his local council.

He has been left with a large scar on his face and continues to need physiotherapy at Hospital to help him with his injuries.

His Personal Injury Solicitor explained the basis of the case: “The council showed negligence and a breach of statutory duty in failing to maintain the highway in accordance with the Highways Act 1980.”

“The council initially tried to deny responsibility for this accident, and argued that it hadn’t been reported prior to the accident.… Read more

A lorry driver has successfully pursued an injury compensation claim after he fractured his arm, falling off the vehicle he was unloading.

As he lost his balance, the man reached out and fell on his outstretched hand. He immediately felt severe pain in his arm and was rushed to A&E where he was diagnosed with a fracture.

He was in plaster for six weeks, in which time he was unable to work and unable to complete regular household chores.

Following his injury, the driver contacted a personal injury specialist and was awarded full compensation after his employer admitted liability.… Read more

A pastry chef has successfully pursued an injury compensation claim with the help of specialist personal injury solicitors after being injured in an accident at work.

The woman was employed in a garden centre restaurant and was placing cakes into a walk-in-freezer when she slipped on fluid that had been left on the floor.

She fell and suffered bruising to her knee and a painful soft-tissue injury to her shoulder which exacerbated a pre-existing condition. While her knee injury recovered within two weeks, she was left suffering ongoing pain in her shoulder following her accident, which is expected to recover.

Failed to ensure safe place of work

Following the accident, she contacted a specialist personal injury solicitor who pursued a claim of compensation on her behalf.… Read more

A new legal duty on medical and social care staff to apologise and tell patients when something has gone wrong, has been welcomed by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).

“Honesty and transparency is a huge step forward as the majority of those injured just want an explanation of what went wrong and why, alongside the knowledge that lessons have been learned,” said APIL president John Spencer.

“People want answers, they want to hear the words ‘I’m sorry’ and to find out the truth, but often they face a bureaucratic brick wall.”

“Many people look for something positive after a tragedy.… Read more

John Priestley was cycling along Watnall Road in his home city of Nottingham, when a car recklessly pulled out from a side road and knocked him off his bicycle. An ambulance was called and John was taken to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham for treatment.

The force of the collision and his subsequent fall caused soft tissue injuries to John’s head, neck, shoulder, knees and lower back. Pre-existing back problems were also exacerbated by the accident and he required several sessions of physiotherapy to aid his recovery. Mr Priestley’s injuries meant he could not return to work for five months and he required six months in total to fully recover.… Read more

Produced jointly by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and the Trades Union Congress.

Personal injury compensation is the subject of much myth and misunderstanding. APIL fights negative perceptions when possible, and actively tries to educate the public about the difference between a simple accident, which can never result in a successful claim, and negligence which causes injuries which could have been avoided.

The Compensation Myth is a joint document with the TUC, aimed at setting the record straight on seven common misunderstandings about the compensation system.

The Compensation Myth

It is common to hear stories of the “compensation culture” or claims that Britain is becoming “risk averse” as a result of people claiming compensation.… Read more

A woman has successfully pursued an injury compensation claim after being injured in an accident at a supermarket. The lady was visiting her local supermarket and was walking along one of the freezer aisles when she slipped on a pool of water which had been left on the floor.

She fell and suffered a painful soft-tissue injury to her lower back as well as damaging her knee. She sought medical help but took a year to fully recover from her injuries.

Following the accident, she contacted specialist personal injury solicitors to pursue a claim on her behalf. Their investigation identified a witness who had helped our client after her fall.… Read more

Paul Strange, a technical services operator, was asked to clean a large bread oven at Premier Foods’ Avonmouth bakery. However, there was not a ladder or other safe means of access down onto the oven floor. In order to gain access, Paul had to climb over the oven wall and use a crankshaft fitted to the wall for support.

In doing so, Paul slipped from the crankshaft and fell heavily onto the floor with his left shoulder taking the brunt of the fall. As a result, he suffered ligament damage to his shoulder and a soft tissue injury to his left wrist.… Read more