Personal car accident and work injury compensation claim at Injuries Direct

Galliford Try Construction Ltd, a construction company has been fined £15,000 after breaching health and safety, when a worker was injured during an accident at work.

The Joiner was sub-contracted to the construction company and was working at a water treatment works in Holyhead on 16 June 2005. It was heard that he was asked by a colleague to insert an inflatable pipe stopper into a culvert to enable it to be lined. The device to inflate the pipe stopper had a maximum pressure of 1.5 bar and was not compatible. The over inflated pipe stopper exploded in the confined space he was working in.

From the accident at work the joiner sustained a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula and a broken leg. He also suffered damage to his hearing due to the explosion.

Galliford Try Construction Ltd were fined £15,000 with costs of £8,788. The company that provided the pipe stopper and inflation equipment admitted breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and were fined £3,000 with costs if £8,798.

A spokesperson from the Health and Safety Executive said:

“There were a catalogue of errors that led to the incident - incompatible equipment was used, the pipe-stopper wasn’t used correctly, and Galliford Try did not exercise proper control over the work to be done, resulting in confined-space rescue equipment also not being available.”

The family of a 10 year old boy, James Haw have had there claim for personal injury compensation dismissed in court.

The boy involved, James Haw, who was 7 years old at the time of the accident, was playing football with other children at the sports club  when he started messing around and walking down the cross bar and sliding down the posts of a goalpost at Yorkshire Sports Club, when he was injured. He sustained puncture wounds to his leg on the hooks that hold the football nets up, whilst his mum Karen Haw was drinking in the club bar.

The family immediately started to proceed with a compensation for injury claim against Killamarsh Juniors Athletic Club and Institute, claiming that they failed in their duty to ensure health and safety at the sports club.

The Judge from Sheffield dismissed the family’s personal injury compensation claim and said

“there was no blame on the club which had complied with FA requirements that the goal posts were safe”

The secretary of Killamarsh Juniors Athletic Club and Institute has said they are pleased with the decision and criticised the “sue everyone” culture.

An engineering company, Mitie Engineering Services (Edinburgh) Ltd, has been fined due to a fatal accident at work.

In August 2005 Michael Adamson, 26, was working at the JJB Sports Centre and Retail Outlet, which at the time was under construction. Mr Adamson came into contact with a live conductor in a cable, which had been labelled ‘not in use.’ However, the cable was live and Michael Adamson was electrocuted when he tried to connect the cables.

The employers Mitie Engineering Services (Edinburgh) Ltd, were found guilty by a jury in Dundee Sheriff Court for breaching laws in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The Engineering company was fined £300,000 for the fatal accident at work.

Three of the engineering company’s senior employees were allowed to walk free from Dundee Sheriff Court after they were advised they had no case to answer over Mr Michael Adamson’s death.

Michael Adamson’s sister, Louise Adamson, 32, has commented:

“Michael’s life was priceless; you could never put a value on that.”

The Health and Safety Executive found that Michael Adamson was not provided with test equipment to ensure that the cables were dead and did not have any means to securely isolate the circuit, which could have prevented this fatal accident at work from happening. The Health and Safety Executive said that across the UK electrical contracting industry there is ‘widespread violation of safe working practices’.

A tanker driver, Mr James Robert Hutchinson, has died during an accident at work, when he fell from the top of his vehicle.

The Health and Safety Executive has warned about the dangers of falling from vehicles, after Mr Hutchinson fell 3 metres to his death. The Health and Safety Executive believes that Mr Hutchinson’s employers failed to provide a safe working environment, which caused this fatal accident at work.

Mr Hutchinson, from Clackmannanshire, was found the morning after he fell by 2 farm workers. It was established that he was setting the valves for the delivery of liquid animal feed, when he fell 3 metres to the ground from the top of the tanker and there were no safety rails fitted to the vehicle.

Mr Hutchinson’s employers, Carntyne Transport Ltd of Glasgow, were fined £5,000 and pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which states that all employers must provide a safe place and safe systems to work.

Mr Robert Fraser, a Health and Safety Inspector said:

“Mr Hutchinson’s death was entirely preventable and arose from the clear failure to carry out a risk assessment and ensure there was safe access to the top of the vehicle.”

“Although Workplace Transport injuries form a fairly small part of all accidents at work, they are more likely to result in serious injuries and much more likely to lead to fatalities.”

“HSE figures have shown that every week one person dies from a slip, trip or fall at work and every 25 minutes, someone breaks or fractures a bone at work. This is unacceptable and employers should ensure that they do everything in their power to prevent this type of accident occurring.”

Local MPs are concerned about some council’s decision to turn off thousands of street lamps in suburban areas, as they believe it will cut energy bills and meet current climate change targets.

The plan is to turn the lights off after midnight. Councils claim that it will save £100,000 and nearly 600 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Residents are concerned that these new imposed blackouts will lead to a higher crime rate and more accident compensation claims.

Preseli MP Stephen Crabb has expressed his concern and said:

“Clearly the surprise move by Councillors has left a lot of local people very concerned about the implications of the black-out. Personal injury and the potential impact on antisocial behaviour top their list of concerns. They will need reassurance that steps are being taken to address their fears.”

“There was a good reason why the Victorians invested in gas-lights in towns. It improved the quality of life immensely, particularly in the poorest communities, and helped lead to a massive fall in crime and disorder. It used to be regarded as progress.”

It is not only the residents and MPs that are worried about the proposed plans, but they have provoked anger from police leaders and motoring organisations.

Spokesperson from the Police Superintendents Association, Mr Derek Barnett, said:

“Good street lighting reduces crime, it makes the public feel safe and it reduces the risk of road traffic accidents.

“I would need to feel confident that the environmental savings were being balanced against the impact on local crime.”

Kyle Bullock, 33, from South London was left severely brain damaged after an accident which occurred 22 July 2007.

The former charity worker was walking with friends in North London, when they started to jog. He tripped in a 3 inch deep and 15 inch wide pothole on the road and lost his balance. Kyle fell and rolled down a hill and banged his head on a further pothole on the road. He was taken to Whittington Hospital, before being transferred to the National Hospital for Neurology and neurosurgery.

Kyle was left severely brain damaged, as he suffered damage to his frontal lobes and multiple skull fractures. Kyle is now dependant on other people and reliant on a wheelchair. The accident led to the break down of his relationship and he was no longer able to work.

Homes for Haringey were responsible for maintaining the road on behalf of Haringey Council, which was in a poor state of repair, have accepted part liability for the accident. At the High Court they were ordered to pay Mr Kyle Bullock personal injury compensation, which is believed to exceed millions of pounds.

Kyle Bullock’s former fiancée Amanda Bailey said:

“Kyle’s accident left him with serious brain damage and changed our lives forever. Money can never bring back what he has lost but it will allow Kyle to live as good a life as possible, getting access to therapy in Australia and helping him to build his life. I am very pleased with the result.”

A 28 year old woman from Hull, who does not want to be named, has been awarded personal injury compensation after she was involved in collision with another vehicle, through no fault of her own.

The 28 year old woman was on her way to work on a busy morning when she became stationary due to a traffic jam. Whilst waiting for the traffic to continue moving, a car failed to see the traffic queuing and drove into the back of her vehicle. The car accident left her with whiplash and other personal injuries.

The car accident prevented the woman from going to work for just over a month, which meant she suffered financial loss as a result, through no fault of her own. The woman had no alternative but to pursue a car accident claim for the personal injuries and the financial loss she suffered.

There was no requirement for the car accident claim to proceed in a Court of Law and the case was settled outside of court.

The driver of the other vehicle admitted full liability for the car accident and she was awarded £5,000 in compensation for injury.

A spectacular British business woman, Ms Tina Knight, 66, has won her claim for personal injury compensation after she slipped in Stansted airport.

The accident occurred in July 2005, when she was returning from a business trip in Cyprus. She was walking through the baggage claim area in the airport, when she slipped in a puddle of water. She was left with a broken toe, damage to her hip, a twisted knee and a dislocated thumb.

Ms Knight has a passion for high heel shoes and has a vast collection of over 200 pairs. Unfortunately, due to the personal injury she suffered, she is now unable to wear any of her high heeled shoes and can only wear flat shoes.

Ms Tina Knight has now secured a partial victory in a legal battle for compensation for injury, which may result in her being awarded tens of thousands of pounds.

Ms Knight has commented:

‘This is a case of principle. Whilst I’m delighted I have been vindicated, the damages have not been awarded. That case is still to be heard. For all I know I may only get a penny.

‘I think the real issue is broken limbs, dislocated shoulders and months off work, not high heels.’

Judge Harvey Kenny is strongly discouraging parents from making personal injury compensation claims if their children accidentally fall in the playground at school and hurt themselves.

The judge dismissed a Mother’s claim for compensation for injury after her daughter fell in the school yard. The Mother was extremely angry by the decision, who stated that her daughter had to undergo 3 operations for a double fracture on her right arm.

It was heard in court that the child was playing in the yard on 14th November 2005, when another child pushed her over. She insisted that her child fell due to negligence and a breach of duty by the school and as a result suffered personal injury. The child told the court that there were no teachers around at the time of the accident and she was helped up from the ground by 2 older children.

After the personal injury compensation claim was dismissed, the Mother if the injured child commented:

“Of course I am going to appeal this, what else could I do? If I was wrong I would walk away, but I know I’m right,” said the mother of three.

Judge Harvey Kenny reached his decision by the fact that if parents continue to claim for compensation for injury in civil court actions every time their children fell over in the school playground, then children will no longer be allowed to play out in school yards.

Two contractor companies have been fined a total of £30,000 after an accident at work on 11th January 2007 had left a man paralysed from the waist down.

Construction work was being undertaken on two buildings in Grosvenor Street, London. The buildings were being converted into one, which required the installation of a steel structure to support the buildings. While the installation was taking place, the structure became stuck. However, when it became free it moved out of place and dragged a worker through a hole in the floor. The man fell 7.3 metres down 2 storeys of the building, which resulted in him being left paralysed.

Both contracting companies, T. J. Myles & Co and Crispin & Borst were both found guilty at London Magistrates Court for breaching Health and Safety regulations, which caused this accident at work.

T. J. Myles & Co were fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,339.20 and Crispin & Borst were fined £10,000 with £7,155.20 in costs.

Health and Safety Executive Inspector Lisa Chappell said:

“The victim suffered serious injuries, which have left him paralysed, but this incident could well have resulted in his death.

“This case again highlights the absolute necessity for the creation and implementation of a site-specific assessment of work at height that is fit for purpose in order to identify appropriate measures to prevent injury.”