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.
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.
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.
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“