Compensation News

A student has successfully claimed £147,000 in compensation for the serious injuries she sustained having been knocked down by a car whilst she was on her way to university.

The car pulled out into her path and hit her at speed, causing her to suffer a fractured spine. This resulted in her having to undergo surgery to fuse the spine at the point of the fracture.

The compensation awarded was calculated to reflect both her suffering as a result of the accident and her likely future losses as a result of the injuries she sustained. At the time of the accident the student was a keen sportswoman and was studying to become a PE teacher.… Read more

A cleaner who fell over on an unlit path whilst working at the Arriva Trains Canton Depot has received an accident compensation payout following a successful injury claim against their employer. The lady from Pwllypant Caerphilly was on her way to start the night shift cleaning trains, when she fell over building debris, turning her ankle and suffering a stress fracture to her foot. The path’s usual lighting had been disconnected whilst building work took place nearby, making it impossible for the cleaner to see the rubble.

The cleaner continued on to work her shift, whilst trying to keep the weight off her painful foot.… Read more

A bus passenger is seeking accident compensation after suffering a back injury as a result of an accident involving the bus he was travelling on. The man was one of five passengers who needed injury treatment at a local A&E department after the bus driver braked sharply during their journey.

All were later discharged with minor injuries, but one of the injured individuals has said he is planning to take legal compensation action against the service operator because he suffered an inflamed spine and whiplash due to the impact. He explained that he now suffers a “recurring headache” since the accident and noted that a number of people had been ‘flung forward’ as the bus came to a sudden stop at a roundabout.… Read more

A lady who had been thrown from her horse as a result of a low fly-past from a military helicopter has successfully claimed over £60,000 from the Ministry of Defence. The MoD accepted liability for the accident, which resulted in serious injuries including a broken hip.

Initially the injured claimant had contacted the Ministry of Defence directly, and was happy to deal directly with them in relation to the accident. The MoD acted appropriately when they advised that she should seek independent professional legal advice in relation to the claim. Having done this the lady was pleasantly surprised by the value of the compensation award that her specialist personal injury lawyers were able to negotiate.… Read more

A train employee has been awarded over £10,000 in accident compensation after suffering a serious back injury. The accident occurred on a moving train as a result of an unsecured food trolley.

The lady was working in the catering area when the train braked sharply, resulting in the trolley shooting forwards and crashing into her lower back. The claimant was unable to continue working and went to hospital as soon as she was able, to receive treatment.

Upon investigation of the accident it was found that the trolley had been left unsecured, as the normal designated trolley points were full. In addition, the trolley brakes were discovered not to be in working order, and there had been a number of ‘near miss’ accidents in the past.… Read more

A man who fell as a result of tripping over a sunken gulley on a supermarket pavement has been awarded £3,300 in accident compensation. The man suffered a back injury as a result of the fall.

Initial legal argument centred over a dispute as to the ownership of the land where the defective pathway was situated. Following investigations by the claimant’s solicitors, the supermarket’s insurers eventually accepted liability for the poorly maintained surface, and were willing to settle the personal injury claim.… Read more

A lady represented by specialist Personal Injury lawyers has successfully claimed a six figure compensation sum from defendant insurers following the death of her husband in a road traffic accident.

The deceased, James Nicholl, was months away from retirement, having spent years as a professional van and lorry driver.  The accident occurred as Mr Nicholl drove through a set of traffic lights that had turned green.  A lorry approaching from the opposite direction turned across the carriage, failing to stop at the junction.  Witnesses said that Mr Nicholl had almost no time to react, and could not avoid the horrific accident.… Read more

A man has finally received a five-figure sum, almost 3 years after  suffering a serious road accident at the hands of a hit and run driver.  The driver could not be traced, despite the company name of the lorry they were driving being clearly identified.

The man had been knocked off his bicycle after being overtaken by the lorry, which had pulled back across him without leaving a safe gap.  The lorry then simply drove away, leaving the cyclist at the roadside with a number of serious injuries including broken bones.  Witnesses were able to inform police as to identity of the lorry company, but could not recall the number plate in order to trace the driver.  … Read more

A man who developed lung disease as a result of exposure to oil mist at his workplace has secured a five-figure injury compensation settlement as a result of the successful negotiations of his specialist industrial disease lawyers.

The man worked as a machine operator on a production line on which oil-cooled machinery was used.  During production, the oil coolant was known to ‘mist’ after it reached high temperatures.  This should have been captured by a combination of extractors and filters.  However, despite a number of complaints by staff that the extraction system was not working effectively, no repair work was carried out.   … Read more

The NHS paid out a total of £98 million in 2011 – a rise of £42m from the previous year according to recently released figures.   The number of claims made has increased by nearly 80% over the last five years.

In addition, the statistics show that almost 10% of compensation claim cases are filed as a result of failures to diagnose cancer.

The results have come from a Freedom of Information Request following the announcement that the General Medical Council has appointed new regional officers to help crack down on medical negligence in the UK.… Read more