Raleys Solicitors

June 2, 2010

6 Month Jail Sentence for Accident Claim Fraud

Filed under: accident claim, personal injury — Tags: , , — admin @ 3:11 pm

Victims of road accidents who are injured as a result of another person’s negligent driving are entitled to claim compensation for their injuries, financial losses and damage to their property, such as their car if it was damaged in the accident. Insurance policies, which are a legal requirement for all drivers, are in place to pay compensation on the liable driver’s behalf in such circumstances. Unfortunately, in recent years there has been a massive increase in fraudulent insurance claims, in which dishonest motorists intentionally cause accidents, exaggerate injuries and may even invent witnesses to ensure that they win hefty compensation payouts. This practise is, obviously, illegal but is affecting motorists by bumping up the costs they pay for their insurance premiums.

A recent case of a man who tried to make a fraudulent claim for compensation ended with him being sentenced to six months in jail for fraud, which the judge said he hoped would set the example that insurance companies, law firms, the courts and the general public will not tolerate fraudulent compensation claims.

Anjam Shabir claimed to have been involved in an accident in October 2008, yet his report of events did not match with the opinion of an industry expert whose job is to investigate car crash scenes for evidence. In order to reinforce his story, Mr Shabir enlisted his sister and friend to lie and say they had been passengers in the car at the time of the accident. All three then lied to doctors about injuries they claimed to have sustained in an attempt to win up to £25,000 of fraudulent compensation money from the insurers of the other driver, a Mr Steiner who was an illegal immigrant and who has now been deported.

As well as Mr Shabir’s six months in prison, his friend and sister were each ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work.

Hopefully, continued efforts by insurers and law firms to fully investigate suspect compensation claims will continue to make life harder for the dishonest motorists who raise the premiums of their honest counterparts as well as hindering the accident claims process for those victims who genuinely need their compensation.

May 21, 2010

Compensation Battle Over for Families of Injured Children

Filed under: Defective product claims, Raleys Solicitors, accident claim, personal injury — Tags: , , — admin @ 10:36 am

Over 40 children in the UK whose fingers were allegedly injured in the hinges of folding pushchairs manufactured by Maclaren, will receive personal injury compensation, following a compensation battle which has been ongoing since late 2009.

Originally, Maclaren recalled over a million products in the US but insisted its UK buggies were unaffected by the alleged problem concerning folding hinge systems. However, reports of injuries similar to those alleged in the US soon emerged here in the UK, causing concern amongst parents. As a result, Maclaren made a hinge cover available to families through its website.

Maclaren has not admitted liability but has agreed personal injury compensation with the help of its insurers and will be making full compensation damages awards. The payments will depend on the severity of injuries which included amputations to finger tips, fractured bones, disfigurement or loss of feeling. The money will be invested until the children concerned are 18.

Both personal injury solicitors and the families of victims have welcomed the compensation agreement. Whilst the payouts do not turn back the clock and undo the injuries, they have put an end to a distressing period for injured children and the parents who feared they may have been to blame.

Maclaren underlined its safety record, pointing out that out of a million buggies sold in the UK in the past decade and only 100 complaints have been received. The company also pointed out that the whole buggy industry was affected.

March 3, 2010

Can You Make an Accident Claim for Your Pavement Trip?

Filed under: Raleys, Raleys Solicitors, Solicitors, accident claim, accident claim solicitor, personal injury — admin @ 2:03 pm

If you’ve ever fallen over in public you’ll know that despite what passers by might think, it’s actually no laughing matter. If you’ve ever been injured in such a fall or trip then you’ll understand the frustration at having been the victim of an injury because of tripping hazards that shouldn’t have been there.

TV adverts and magazines are always mentioning the possibility of accident claims following trips and falls in public, but there does remain some apprehension amongst the injured parties who simply aren’t sure whether or not they’re entitled to claim.

Simply put, if you’ve been injured in a trip or fall in public then you probably have a case to make a claim. Here are our simple guidelines.

Local authorities have a legal duty to maintain their roads and pavements, this includes repairing potholes, raised or loose paving stones or any other defect. If you are injured by any hazard such as these then you can claim.

However, the local authority will be free from responsibility if they can demonstrate that they have a working system of inspection and repair and if they can successfully argue that the defect happened between inspections.

Remember then that if you wish to make a claim for an  injury you have suffered as a result of a trip or fall on a defective surface, you should contact an accident claim solicitor as soon as possible because as soon as the defect is repaired then the evidence for your case is lost.

If you choose to contact us we will visit the site of the accident right away to inspect it, identify the landowner so that the claim can be made against the right person or organisation, obtain detailed medical reports about the injury you received from the doctor or hospital who treated you at the time, fight for justice for you and finally negotiate compensation so that you can move on with your life.

February 25, 2010

Winter Worries For Local Councils

Filed under: Raleys, Raleys Solicitors, accident claim, personal injury — Tags: , , , — admin @ 1:40 pm

Local councils have been inundated with personal injury claims and compensation cases due to the poor winter weather. The huge amounts of ice and snow meant that councils were leaving many pavements un-gritted in an effort to make the main roads safe whilst the roads have been left with massive potholes in after they have thawed. If you want to know more about how the winter weather has led to an increase in accident claims, read my article at ezine articles.

“Winter Brings a Rise in Personal Injury Claims“

January 25, 2010

Raleys Solicitors – Personal Injury

Filed under: Raleys, Raleys Solicitors, Solicitors, accident claim — Tags: , , — admin @ 10:39 am

Call us if you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault. We will do all that we can to get you the justice you deserve.

December 3, 2009

Accidents Can Happen Anywhere

Filed under: accident claim — Tags: , , , — admin @ 3:15 pm

Public places are where most accidents happen due to poor maintenance, reckless behaviour and many distractions. This article demonstrates how even the most social places can be a hotbed of accidents waiting to happen.

Safety issues are not ignored when a swimming pool is opened to the public. However, despite the best planning there will always be unexpected circumstances that could jeopardize the swimmers in the public swimming pool. PatnehamSwimmingPool(web)

Trained lifeguards are typically on duty and their certifications are available for viewing, but their experience level may be in question. Drowning is not the only accident that can happen at a public swimming pool.

Pool owners need to keep the surrounding pool areas safe from danger as well as just keeping lifeguards on hand. Swimming pool users have had thousands of pounds paid out through their accident claim if they have slipped on loose tiles, uneven surfaces or hurt themselves on sharp edges.

Pool users can present a danger to their fellow swimmers if they do not take enough care. When a few become too rowdy they can hurt their people by jumping on them or hitting them by accident. Sometimes foreign objects will be thrown into the pool which could also cause accidents and injury.

Despite the best efforts by the community operating the public swimming pool, diseases can still be freely transmitted from one to another through the water.

However these factors do not mean that fun cannot be had at a swimming pool, especially during the summer when friends want a fun place to get together.

You will have more fun at a pool if you keep yourself and those around you safe by regulating your actions. Small children especially must be watched and guarded closely by their adult supervisors to ensure their safety as well as to make sure they do not interfere with the plans of others using the public swimming pool.

While the overall responsibility for the safety of the swimmers falls to the operators of a public swimming pool, personal safety needs to be the responsibility of everyone at the pool.

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