Victim Of Vehicle Accident On Private Land Entitled To Compensation
In the recent decision of Motor Insurers’ Bureau v Lewis, the Court of Appeal has confirmed the rights of those people injured in car accidents on private land to bring a claim for compensation. The court found the Motor Insurers Bureau was liable to pay damages to the Mr Lewis who was walking along a…
Worker Falls From Height: Are The Work at Height Regulations and Health & Safety Executive Investigations Sufficient?
Mr Simon Helliwell in our Personal Injury department recently obtained compensation for his client who fell through a skylight in a roof at work and fell 30 feet to the floor. Simon describes: “It was my client’s case that major works were to be carried out on site and due to a threat of workers…
Can The Brain Heal Itself After Brain Damage?
Suffering a traumatic brain injury can be a very harrowing time and it can be difficult for clients and their loved ones to see a way forward. At Ison Harrison our first priority is the patient’s rehabilitation. The brain is a very sensitive and complicated organ, and when you consider the many variables that can influence…
The Stats And Facts When It Comes To Cycling Accidents
As the cost of petrol rises, more and more turn to bicycles instead. Unlike drivers, cyclists do not have insurance whilst cycling on the road. Statistics The Road Safety Factsheet details 120 cycling fatalities, 3100 serious injuries and over 19,000 cycling accidents in the UK each year. It is estimated that less severe causalities will…
Legislation Changes to Personal Injury: How Does it Impact You?
“A world where Darth Vader is the good guy and Luke Skywalker is the bad guy.” The principle of insurance is that the many pay for the few. Fortunately, the vast majority of people will never be involved in an accident but if this happens how would you expect the system to support you? If the…
Global Study Finds Sexual Abuse is Overlooked by State Laws
According to a global study conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit, the sexual abuse of boys is not addressed by the laws in many countries. The findings show the response to child sexual abuse and exploitation across 40 countries. The study examines how countries respond to such threats of sexual violence against children, as well…
Local Authorities Overspent On Children’s Services By An Approximate £807m
With the rising number of children taken into care by local authorities, pressure is rising on budgets, and is being overspent. Analysis conducted by the Local Government Association LGA found that 133 out of 152 councils responsible for children services overspent in 2017-2018. The budget was overspent by an estimated £807m. Government data published in…
Yorkshire Child Sexual Abuse Ring
Yorkshire police arrest 55 men in child sex abuse investigation, after seven women made historical allegations Police arrested 55 men as part of an investigation into historical allegations of child sexual abuse in Dewsbury, Batley and Bradford areas between 2002 and 2009. The men were recently interviewed and released pending further inquiries. DI Ian Thornes…
The Randox Scandal
Have you received a letter from the Crown Prosecution Service, stating your conviction may be unsafe? We have been approached by clients who have been affected by the Randox scandal in which one of their operators had allegedly manipulated some of the data which led to potentially unsafe convictions. It is understood that more than 10,000…
£850,000.00 compensation obtained for “Iron Man”
Simon Helliwell in our Personal Injury department recently achieved a settlement in the sum of £850,000.00 for a client who suffered substantial Orthopaedic Injuries. Simon’s client was driving home for lunch and was hit head on by a third party motorist. The accident scene, rescue and initial treatment were all broadcast on the Real A&E Helicopter Rescue…
Whiplash Claims Reforms Pass Final Obstacle
Controversial whiplash claim reforms took a step nearer to reality at the end of October, when Labour amendments were defeated and a second reading of the Civil Liability Bill opened up a debate and voting, which saw it advance to the final stages. The bill aims to introduce a fixed tariff for whiplash damages and…
Graham Roberts: Successful Child Abuse Case
Graham Roberts, part of our Personal Injury department shares his recent success in a child abuse claim: Miss C and Mr C ‘s mother could not look after her children appropriately, therefore in the 70’s the two children were placed by the Local Authority into Foster Care. From the ages of 11 to 16 both of…
600 Ambulance call outs in 3 years to UK Amazon Warehouse
A Freedom of Information request to ambulance services from the GMB union has revealed that over the past three years, ambulances were called out 600 times to an Amazon warehouse, with 115 call outs this year to site in Rugeley, near Birmingham. Three call outs were related to pregnancy or maternity problems Three for major…
Burn victim achieves settlement of £55,000.00
Simon Helliwell in our personal injury department recently settled a case involving a 96 year old Claimant who suffered serious burns to her lower leg after a storage heater that had very recently been fitted fell away from the wall due to shoddy workmanship. The storage heater weighed 165Kg and trapped my client’s leg for…
Chris Drabble’s Success Story
Our client, Kickboxing champion and proud father of two, Mr Chris Drabble, recently received £135,000.00 in settlement following an accident at work on the 7th September 2015. He suffered a significant fracture dislocation of his wrist when the boom on a genie lift fell towards him and he put his hands out to protect himself. …
Children Accidents
Infants and children can often be involved in accidents. This can be due to their inquisitive nature; the desire to test everything they find. On some occasions, an accident may lead to an injury. You may be able to make a compensation claim on behalf of your child. Common accidents include Defective playground equipment Poorly…
Victims of Abuse Being Let Down by the NHS
Reports find lack of support and failings within NHS Mental Health Services Child maltreatment has been called the tobacco industry of mental health. As smoking directly causes or triggers predispositions for physical disease, early abuse can contribute to virtually all types of mental illness, leaving these children vulnerable to depression, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder…
Allergic Reaction Causes Fatal Accidents
Boy with severe dairy allergy dies after schoolmate throws cheese A 13 year old boy from Greenford West London, died due to a serious allergic reaction, after going into anaphylactic shock. The boy was severely allergic to wheat, gluten, all dairy, eggs and all nuts. He was also asthmatic and suffered from atopic eczema. The…
Sale of Conventional Petrol and Diesel Vehicles Ending by 2040
Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 The government are implementing the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 to achieve carbon targets set out in the Climate Change Act 2008. Decarbonising transport is a key aspect of this policy. It has been announced by government that nearly all cars and vans should be zero emission vehicles…
We’re Supporting Injury Prevention Day – 15th August
Today is Injury Prevention Day, a time to raise awareness around safety initiatives and avoid needless injuries. This year’s focus is on vehicle headrests and ensuring they are properly adjusted. The campaign is spearheaded by APIL, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. As an APIL member, we are committed to seeking reforms to improve the…
Jury Inquest at Wakefield Coroners Court concludes that Spencer James Walker died as a result of an accident
The jury heard that on the 3rd October 2016 Spencer James Walker, 12 from South Elmsall was out with friends when he climbed upon the canopy of Kirkbridge Footbridge which crosses the East Coast Railway Lines. He managed to pass the protective spikes and gain access to the roof of the cage. Spencer then climbed…
£13,000 Spider Bite
A long serving British Airways flight steward, Terry O’Driscoll has recently won £13,000 in damages, after being bitten by a US spider whilst working on a long haul flight. It is thought that Terry had been bitten by a brown recluse spider in May 2013. This happened whilst at work, in the staff resting area…
Court permits a Defendant to re-open a dishonesty defence despite claim being discontinued
A recent decision of the Court shows the importance of ensuring that claims are not brought dishonestly. The High Court has ordered that a fundamental dishonesty defence against a teenage Road Traffic Accent claimant and the driver of the vehicle in which he was travelling should be determined even though they had discontinued their claim….
New HSE Statistics Highlight the Risks of Health and Safety at Work
One of our busiest departments at Ison Harrison is the Personal Injury Department. Our success in representing clients reflects our team’s extensive experience, gained in no small part due to the sheer number of personal injury cases that occur every year and the clients approaching us as a result. Negligence can occur and result in…
Training Deficiency Highlighted as Employee Requires Amputation of Fingers
The issue of enforcing proper training programmes has been raised by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) after an accident at a packaging firm in Sheffield left an employee having to have part of a hand amputated. In this case the employee has solid grounds to claim that negligence on the part of his employer…
2019 Personal Injury Reforms – What Will They Mean For You?
***Updated June 2018*** Our Head of Personal Injury, Gareth Naylor, updated this blog post on 27th June 2018 to provide the most up to date information regarding the Personal Injury Reforms. Controversial personal injury reforms which significantly restrict a person’s access to justice look set to go ahead next year despite the concerns raised by…
Formula One Mechanic Suffers Broken Leg During Race
There are thousands of accidents in the workplace every year, but rarely do millions of people across the globe witness a workplace accident happen live on television. The victim of the accident in question was Francesco Cigarini and the reason millions of people saw him break his leg live was because it happened during a…
Case Study: Acoustic Shock – Noise Induced Hearing Loss
Last week Chris Goldscheider won a landmark case for damage to his hearing caused by loud noise. Mr Goldscheider suffered “acoustic shock” as a result of being exposed to noise levels of in excess of 130 decibels, equivalent to that of a jet engine whilst playing a viola in the Royal Opera House. This case…
Prominent Football Coach Jailed for 30 Years
Barry Bennell has been jailed for 30 years for sexually abusing young boys he preyed on whilst working as a football coach. In passing his sentence Judge Clement Goldstone QC described him as “the devil incarnate”. It was said that this serial abuser of children stole the childhood and innocence of his victims to satisfy…
I’m a Casual Worker and Had an Accident at Work – What Do I Do?
Winter is often a time when the opportunity to gain casual work increases, as companies look to meet the demands of the festive season and beyond. They may take on these staff using a variety of means, but this mix of recruitment methods can cause confusion for workers if something goes wrong. Here, we make…
Inquest jury finds that Pensioner Died from Head Injuries
On the 19 November 2016, 73 year old Keith Holmes was out walking and was on his way to meet his wife in Bingley when he passed The Myrtle Grove pub on Main Street, a JD Wetherspoon pub. As he passed the pub, an advertising board placed outside it collapsed, knocking him to the ground. Mr Holmes…
Hefty Fine after a Manual Handling Operation Goes Wrong
A failure to carry out basic health and safety responsibilities has led to an engineering company in Norfolk being hit by a £20,000 fine, after an employee suffered an injury to three fingers in February this year. Gareth Naylor, Head of Personal Injury, examines the case below. Dantech Engineering of Burrell Way, Thetford, Norfolk, had…
Discount Rate Changes to Adversely affect Accident Victims
The Government has indicated that they are expecting to legislate on changes to the discount rate early next year. David Hatton, a Solicitor in our Personal Injury department, discusses what this will mean in practice. What is the discount rate? The discount rate is a calculation used in serious personal injury (and clinical negligence) cases….
Transfer Your Personal Injury Case? No Problem
Like all businesses, solicitors must deliver the highest standards to keep consumers satisfied. It is common for dissatisfied clients to change solicitors and look elsewhere; which you are entitled to do so. Clients change their solicitor for a multitude of reasons: Lack of communication Solicitor not following instruction You are being dealt with by a…
Considering the Impact of Armes v Nottinghamshire County Council
The Judgment in the case of Armes v Nottinghamshire County Council has now been handed down by the Supreme Court. Here, Graham Roberts considers the impact of this significant and long-awaited decision. The law dictates that local authorities are ‘vicariously liable’ for the actions of their employees as long as the actions are within the…
Don’t be an April Fool!
It’s not just for April 1st– recommend Ison Harrison to anyone injured in an accident that wasn’t their fault and receive £100.00 as a thank you if they contact us and their case is accepted. This ends on 30 April 2017– please contact our specialist Personal Injury team on 0113 284 5000 for more information.
Personal Injury Case Study – Doug McQueen
Personal injury can be a very complex area- due to the very nature of the case, complexity of the law, serious injury and on occasions a difficult Defendant. In order to succeed with a personal injury claim the Claimant must prove negligence on part of the Defendant, and furthermore, that the negligence led to the…
Personal Injury February ‘Sale’
Our Personal Injury team are pleased to announce that for the month of February, new clients will be able to take advantage of a very unique offer. Usually, our standard No-Win No Fee agreements include a 25% success fee. The fee represents a contribution towards our professional fees in the event of a successful claim,…
Vaccines stored at incorrect temperatures
Simon Helliwell, a senior Chartered Legal Executive within our Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Team, has recently been instructed in a number of cases involving a Leeds GP surgery which, following a routine inspection by the Care Quality Commission, was found to have stored vaccines at an incorrect temperature- for up to 18 months. Parents…
Dramatic Or Justified? We Review The Proposed Personal Injury Reforms
A government commissioned report pointed out in 2003, there is usually ‘very little analysis of what the term compensation culture means, let alone proof that such a “culture” exists’. However, the absence of evidence to support a catchy phrase is not stopping the politicians using it to try and rush through massive changes to the industry…
£7.5m Settlement Secured for Personal Injury Client
After five years of skillful negotiation, Ison Harrison Solicitor Geraldine Kane won £7.5m in damages for her client with a personal injury case. Geraldine’s client had suffered severe brain injuries which resulted in life threatening complications and was unconscious for days, all at the age of 19, following a car accident. This case settled at a…
Seven year old girl awarded £10m in damages from King’s College Hospital Trust
Eva Totham, was starved of oxygen at birth in 2007 and now suffers from severe cerebral palsy. The compensation pay-out of £10.1m was awarded to cover Eva’s past and future care, as she is now entirely dependent on others for all aspects of day-to-day living. This was also to cover her loss of earnings as it…
How to make a claim for medical negligence
Time limits It is important that that you speak to a solicitor as soon as possible as there are time limits which apply to pursuing a claim. Court Proceedings need to be issued within 3 years of the negligence or within 3 years of the date that you become aware of the negligence. In cases…
‘The Compensation Myth’ of work injuries
Insurers, Government and media have been quick to portray lawyers as fuelling a compensation culture. The joint APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers) and TUC (Trades Union Congress) report highlights 10 myths around compensation claims and the workplace. Here is a snippet of the finding Claims are escalating out of control Claims against employers have…
Footballer died of industrial disease
Jeff Astle, the former West Bromwich Albion footballer died 12 years ago and his widow Laraine is still waiting for answers from the FA. An inquest ruled that the footballer had an industrial disease, although may be better discribed as an occupational disease. Heading heavy leather balls over a number of years contributed to the…
£7.5m damages following RTA
We all dread it – the phone call – you know the one that changes your life forever. Kathy Fox received one of those in the early hours of 9th May 2009. A few hours later, she was rushing to the bedside of her 19 year old son, Chris, who had suffered a devastating brain…
The Mesothelioma Act
The Government today announced the level of compensation payments to be made to victims of the asbestos related disease mesothelioma. After much debate in the commons an average figure of £123,000 is to be awarded as to each mesothelioma sufferer or their dependents and whose employer’s liability insurer cannot be traced. Claims against this new…
Widow awarded £705,000 after contracting same disease as husband
Monica Haxton’s husband died from mesothelioma in 2009 after several years working near asbestos in his job as an electrician. Two years later, Mrs Haxton started to suffer from acute breathlessness just as her husband had done. She too was diagnosed with mesothelioma. It became apparent that she had been exposed to asbestos by hand…
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
As winter bites we should be aware of the danger posed by carbon monoxide. Unfortunately there is a common misconception that smoke alarms will protect us from carbon monoxide poisoning and this is not the case. In the UK it is estimated that carbon monoxide poisoning accounts for 4000 people attend to attend A&E 400…
Personal Injury News
Jonathan Wearing issues this stark warning on the back of amendments to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act. “It is clear that some personal injury departments are ignoring the changes, operating at a loss and as a consequence clients are starting to suffer. Locally we have seen well established firms like Walker…