Personal car accident and work injury compensation claim at Injuries Direct

A police officer who suffered personal injury apprehending a man in Birmingham is to sue the force for compensation.

Richard Gardner had been in the police force for twelve years when he suffered injuries to his knees and back during a struggle with a man in Birmingham City Centre, the Birmingham Mail is reporting.

Mr. Gardner required multiple operations on his knees following the incident and had to take several months off work.

After making several attempts to return to his duties the former police officer claims that West Midlands Police made no allowances for his disability, caused by the injuries he received whilst on duty, and as a result he was forced to resign.

The ex-police officer stated; “I was accused of not telling the truth about my injuries and attempts were made to get me back to work although I was totally unfit, I believe there was a manipulation by the police and the medical process in assessing my condition.”

Mr. Gardner maintains that the force could have found him less demanding duties and possibly reduced his working hours in view of his disability.

West Midlands Police are disputing the compensation claim.

Concerns over the controversial MMR vaccination, have resurfaced after a teenager who requires round the clock care was awarded £90,000 compensation.

Robert Fletcher, 18 of Golborne, near Wigan, had a severe convulsion 10 days after receiving the combined Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine, when he was just over a year old. He now requires constant care, is unable to speak, feed himself or stand without assistance and also suffers recurrent epileptic fits.

A medical panel decided that the MMR vaccine was to blame for Roberts’s condition, a decision which will re-ignite the controversy surrounding Dr Andrew Wakefield, who in 1998 suggested a link between MMR and autism. His remark advocating that parents should opt for single injections for measles, mumps and rubella led to a massive drop in the number of children actually being inoculated against these diseases.

Dr. Wakefield was subsequently discredited and struck off the medical register. Speaking at the time, he said: “I have been asked to go because my research results are unpopular.”

The Department of Health said; “The safety of MMR has been endorsed through numerous studies in many countries. Thankfully, more parents are having their children vaccinated with MMR and consider it as safe as other childhood vaccines.”

A recent outbreak of measles in Wilmslow, Cheshire has been blamed on children not being inoculated against the disease. Dr Sam Ghebrehewet of the Cheshire and Merseyside Health Protection Unit said; “Measles is potentially a very serious – and on rare occasions fatal – disease.”

It would appear that due to conflicting evidence that parents have once again been put in the dilemma of whether or not to have their children vaccinated

A 75 year old widow has won £50,000 dental negligence compensation after dental work to correct a crooked tooth went horribly wrong.

Jean Wall, of Droylsden, Lancashire, had disliked her crooked front tooth for a number of years; she finally plucked up the courage to have it repaired in March of 2007, when she approached dentist Dr Oscar Kwame Gagoh.

Mrs. Wall agreed to have extra cosmetic treatment which included crowns, veneers, bleaching and white fillings at an estimated cost of between £8,000 and £10,000 but ended up paying another dentist £30,000 to correct the damage caused by Dr. Gagoh.

Dr. Gagoh is currently working as a dentist in the United States after leaving the UK with thirteen county court cases outstanding, it took three years for Mrs. Wall’s legal team to trace him.

Jean claimed that her life was ‘almost wrecked’ by the incident and said “I looked like a mess. I had nerve damage – the pain was unbearable, I couldn’t eat, drink or swallow properly.”

The Manchester Evening News tracked the dentist to an address in Michigan, U.S.A, where Dr Gagoh was still insisting that he had not done any wrong but refused to comment on the county court cases or his reasons for leaving the U.K.

The dentist did say however, “I remember the patient well. She was given a mirror and saw the work. If she was not happy, why did she allow me to continue? This is nonsense.”

An engineering firm responsible for an employee contracting the deadly asbestos related disease Mesothelioma have been ordered to pay £10,000 towards his care at a hospice.

St. Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, East London was caring for James Wilson until he died there aged 76. James was exposed to deadly Asbestos dust while working at Deptford Power Station during the 1950’s. His former employer Foster Wheeler must now contribute towards the cost of his care at the £900 a day hospice.

The NHS contributes 35% towards the cost of running the hospice with the other 65% coming from charitable contributions. The hospice argued that the companies responsible for the patients suffering should be liable for the cost of care.

In a landmark decision the High Court agreed with St. Josephs and this could lead to thousands of other hospices with Mesothelioma patients also making claims against employers.

Roy Nightingale a social worker at the hospice, instrumental in the court win, has been helping victims of the deadly disease for over 10 years. Roy sees 5 or 6 sufferers every week at St. Josephs, which is a hotspot for the illness due to the near proximity of the Dagenham Ford Car Plant, where employees came into contact with asbestos used in the manufacture of brake pads and Cape Plc a company involved in the cutting of asbestos sheets back in the 1960’s.

A grandmother from Wiltshire who has been told she only has months to live has won a £75,000 compensation claim for medical negligence.

Janet Hardingham of Trowbridge, who has inoperable lung cancer, was awarded the compensation after it was revealed that the Royal United Hospital in Bath had failed to treat her for the disease.

Mrs. Hardingham was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009 and informed that she only had months to live as the cancer could not be operated on. Janet however was shocked to learn that a shadow on her left lung had been discovered two years earlier during a previous x-ray. Staff at the hospital had failed to act on the radiographer’s recommendation that Janet should be treated with antibiotics and another x-ray should be taken within six weeks.

Janet, who has suffered previous heartbreak, losing her 26 year old daughter to a brain tumour in 2004 and the sudden death of her husband by heart failure in June of last year, said about the incident “I’m furious, I get times when I get very, very angry,” she added “You do cope, you have to cope. I have had plenty of tears about the whole thing but it’s exhausting.”

A spokesperson for the Royal United Hospital apologised for Mrs. Hardinghams poor standard of care and it was confirmed that the NHS Litigation Authority had agreed a medical negligence compensation settlement with the grandmother.

A Colchester engineer is claiming compensation of £300,000 after his hand was crushed in a machine at work.

Gary Finnigan from Bullfinch Close, Colchester was attempting to fix a problem with a piece of machinery when the accident happened. The Colchester Daily Gazette is reporting that, Mr Finnigan had to keep the machine operating while he was investigating a coolant leak. His hand became crushed when it was hit by a moving part of the machine.

Mr. Finnigans right hand is now almost useless after losing the fingers and part of his thumb. Despite re-constructive surgery Gary is still suffering pain and phantom feelings from the missing fingers.

The engineer is claiming that his employer Amtek Aluminium Castings, were negligent in their duties to protect him. He claims his training was inadequate and they never warned him about the moving part, or took adequate measures to prevent him coming into contact with it.

Mr. Finnigan is worried that he may be unable to continue with his engineering career as a result of his injuries, as simple day to day activities are a struggle.

The Witham based company declined to comment as they felt it would be inappropriate due to the impending legal action.

A man, who campaigned tirelessly for a fair compensation deal for workers suffering from the asbestos related disease Mesothelioma, has tragically died from the illness.

Bernard Dean contracted the disease whilst working for Erewash Borough Council, where he was employed as a joiner from 1977 to 1981. His job involved refurbishing council properties where he frequently removed asbestos from doors, windows and garages.

Mr. Dean received compensation from Erewash Borough Council but campaigned relentlessly for fellow sufferers who couldn’t claim, as the companies they worked for no longer existed.

Even when seriously ill with cancer, Bernard travelled to Nottingham to meet with the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He went to discuss the prospect of setting up a fund for those who couldn’t trace former employers, so they too could be compensated for the damage caused by asbestos.

Earlier this year Bernard volunteered for a clinical trial and became the first person to take the cancer drug LDE225. Unfortunately he was taken off the trial when the tumours in his lungs continued to spread.

His wife Susan said: “He was always thinking of somebody else. He’d put himself through treatment just to help others with the disease. It was brave of him to do that drug trial. He was devastated when he was told that he couldn’t carry on.”

A teenager paralysed after being hit by a bus, is seeking compensation for his injuries. Nineteen year old Ben Woodham is hoping to receive £2 to £3 million pounds if his claim is successful, reports the Bury Free Press.

Ben from Thurston, Bury St. Edmunds was travelling on his motor scooter on the A143 at Great Barton, when he was hit by a mini-coach which threw him up onto the windscreen causing head and chest injuries and a fractured spine. He was rushed to the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury and was later transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge where surgeons operated on his spine.

Ben’s injuries were so severe that he is now paralysed from the chest down. He is claiming compensation to include, damages for the pain and suffering caused, his loss of earnings and for his ongoing medical care and equipment.

Insurers representing the coach company JM Turner who trade as Turners of Great Barton are denying any legal responsibility for the accident.

Ben is asking the High Court in London to decide liability claiming that the bus driver Sarah Turner was driving too fast, failed to give way and made an unsafe manoeuvre.

A schizophrenic drug abuser had to have the lower part of his left leg surgically removed, after he fell into a coma following a drugs binge. The Peterborough Evening Telegraph is reporting that the man is now pursuing a claim of medical negligence compensation from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

Mark Currie, of South Bretton was being treated at Edith Cavell Hospital in Peterborough for his condition, when he was allowed two days leave. During this time he drifted into a coma after taking drugs, which led to him laying on the same leg all night, this caused the medical condition ‘compartment syndrome’, which occurs when nerves, blood vessels and muscle tissue is compressed into a small space within the body. This leads to lack of oxygenation of tissue which eventually dies.

The man was successfully treated the next day at Peterborough District Hospital but doctors had to remove the lower part of Mr. Curries left leg.

Mr. Currie is now making a claim for medical negligence compensation, on the grounds that he shouldn’t have been allowed to leave Edith Cavell Hospital unaccompanied.

A member of his legal team stated that; “Part of the role of a hospital is to prevent patients from harming themselves while they are in their care. Among other things, this involves undertaking appropriate risk assessments and reviewing these before making any significant changes in management.”

A spokesperson for the NHS Trust said that the matter was being looked into by their legal department.

A stroll in the park with her pet puppy turned into a nightmare for Nadine Jerome, when she was attacked by a huge “devil dog” mastiff, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Miss Jerome, who thought she was going to die when the dog lunged at her, was hospitalised for a week due to the attack and will now require skin grafts to repair the damage to her right leg.

The owner of the mastiff Natalie Cunningham managed to pull the crazed animal off its victim then asked a bystander to phone an ambulance before casually walking off. Cunningham was arrested a month later when she was recognised by a police officer who recalled the description given by the unfortunate victim.

Manchester Magistrates sentenced the dog’s owner to a suspended 6 week prison sentence and told her she must do 200 hours of unpaid work. The court also ordered that the mastiff be put down and banned Cunningham from keeping a dog for 5 years. The dog’s victim is to receive £1, 000 in compensation following the incident.

Miss Jerome who is still recovering from her injuries called the sentence a joke and stated; “She should have been more severely punished. I still can’t walk. The attack was horrific and I still have nightmares about it.”

As dog attacks in Britain become more widespread the Government is being urged to do more to tackle the problem. In London Kit Malthouse who is the Deputy Mayor for Policing is campaigning for new laws that will target irresponsible dog owners.

Mr. Malthouse is being backed in his campaign by animal charities, unions, law enforcement agencies and victims of vicious dog attacks, who have called the current legislation “inadequate”.

Dog attack victim Barrie Hopcroft, required 24 stitches after trying to protect his guide dog from an out of control pit-bull, that had sank its teeth into his dogs neck. He summed up the current state of affairs when he said; “In Britain, they take action if there’s dog mess on the floor but not if the dog attacks someone.”