Being Careful This Winter To Avoid An Accident Injury

The winter is one of the most dangerous times of year for accidents. Not only are the darker hours longer, taking up the majority of the day, there is also the problem of cold, damp weather making pavements and roads treacherously slippery.

The affect on road users, along with walkers was profound in the winter of 2009/2010. Temperatures plummeted to their lowest for 30 years. Some places in the UK saw night time temperatures drop to around minus 20. Snow fell for many weeks across the whole country, causing travel chaos for millions.

Both slips/trips as well as road accidents are far more common during the winter and some important steps should be taken to make sure that an accident injury is avoided.

In the car: Make sure that you de-ice all of your windows fully to ensure you can see as well as you possibly can. Also, test your lights (front and back) to make sure you can see and be seen on roads that do not have streetlights. Make sure you have plenty of window spray, as the salt that is used on the roads to prevent them from freezing will cover your windscreen, making it dangerous if they are now cleared at regular intervals.

When driving: Make sure you drive slower than you normally would, especially on cold evenings, nights and mornings where black ice could cover tarmac surfaces. When following another vehicle, leave a greater distance between you and the car in front. In icy conditions it can take up to 10 times further to bring your car to a stop than in regular, dry conditions.

When walking on the pavement: Walking can be treacherous, especially when black ice is involved. However, the way you walk, looking where you are going and taking your time can all help in freezing weather.

Making smaller steps can help reduce the risk of slipping on icy pavements, and making sure you keep a flat foot is important to ensure it doesn’t come out from under you or twist awkwardly. Also, looking at the pavement to avoid icy areas can ensure you do not end up hurting yourself. Generally, it is safer to walk on pavement that has been exposed to sunlight that that which is still in the shade or under trees.

Of course we cannot predict the weather this winter. However, knowing what to do if we do feel the ‘big freeze’ yet again is very important if we want to avoid having to make an accident injury claim.

Being Careful This Winter To Avoid An Accident Injury

How to Determine a Good Personal Injury Claim Lawyer

There are many companies out there advertising their services to get you compensation for your injuries. However, as there are so many, how easy is it to sort out the wheat from the chaff? Unless you are knowledgeable in the legal industry, it is near enough impossible to determine who the right people are to help you with your personal injury claim, and who is likely to mess up your chances for good.

The first thing to ask an organisation is what experience have they had. A number of reputable companies have been operating for a number of years, and have done so by adapting to the ever-changing legal regulations which are very strict in the claims industry. All companies that perform such a service for clients have to be reviewed by the Ministry of Justice to ensure they are genuine, and are not looking to make a quick buck off unsuspecting victims.

The next thing you should find out is whether the company is actually made up of trained lawyers, or whether they are just a claims firm that look to sell on your case to a lawyer, not caring at all about your welfare or well-being. Make sure they are certified appropriate bodies to ensure you are getting the service you deserve.

You should also make sure that you are not going to be charged to make your personal injury claim. All solicitors specialising in personal injury cases should offer their services on a no win no fee basis, meaning you don’t need to fork out any extra cash before, during or after your claim’s settlement.

A good personal injury lawyer should make sure they are doing everything in their power to get you the full amount of compensation your are entitled to. They should understand your case inside-out, and have prior experience of helping someone in a very similar situation to you. If you have this mix, you are already on the right path to a successful settlement.

How to Determine a Good Personal Injury Claim Lawyer

Making A Compensation Claim – What You Need To Know

Making a compensation claim isn’t something we generally think we will ever need to do. However, if you do end up injured in an accident and find yourself needing to claim, it is important to know the right steps to take.

The first thing to do is to make sure you have gathered statements from any witnesses to your accident. Whether you were involved in a car crash, or slipped over on a wet floor at work, if someone saw what happened to you, getting them to give a witness account will be hugely beneficial to any payout you are likely to receive.

The next thing you should do is to discuss your accident with a professional personal injury specialist. Choosing a lawyer, rather than a typical claims management company is an important step here, as the latter are only interested in ‘farming’ your claim out to a third party for financial benefit. A genuine solicitor will try to help you to get your payout settled in a quick, hassle-free way on a no win no fee basis.

It’s likely that you will then need to attend a medical examination to assess the severity of your injuries. This is an important step in determining how much compensation you are likely to receive. It is vital to attend this as failure to do so will have a negative effect on your chances of receiving compensation.

When your solicitor has gathered all of the available evidence, he will present it to the person at fault, whether that be your employer, another driver, a medical expert or someone else responsible for your injury. This time is probably the longest, and it is likely that you will feel a bit impatient with the length of time you hear back from your solicitor regarding your case. However, there is a lot of negotiating that needs to happen, and in the majority of cases, they will be able to get you a direct settlement which means you can avoid a trip to the county court.

Compensation claims can take time; usually the more serious they are the longer they will take. However, putting your trust in a qualified solicitor is the first step to receiving the money you deserve.

Making A Compensation Claim – What You Need To Know

The Best Way To Make A Work Compensation Claim

Being injured in an accident is no fun for anyone. This is especially so when it happens in your place of work. Not only do you have to deal with a painful injury, it’s likely that you will be unable to work for a lengthy period of time.

It’s also the case that if you want to make a work compensation claim against your employer, you are unsure how to go about doing so as you don’t want to lose your job, or maybe you get on well with your boss and don’t want to fall out with them.

What most people don’t realise however is that employers are legally required to obtain liability insurance, which covers them in the event that one of their workforce is injured while on their work duties. Of course, this is only the case when the accident could have been avoided, and was specifically the fault of the employers or a fellow employee.

The best thing to do after an accident at work, if you believe you were not to blame for the injures you sustained, is to talk to a personal injury lawyer. By telling them exactly what happened, you will be able to find out whether your case is likely to receive compensation or not.

If your case goes ahead, your employer will receive information telling them that a claim is being made against them. In many cases, the employer will offer to settle before it goes to court, as it will be covered on their insurance. However, if they deny the allegations, the case may end up in the court. Usually you will not to attend this, and your specialist lawyer will make sure that all of the evidence is ready to take into the hearing.

You should never hesitate to make a work compensation claim, even if you feel bad for the potential consequences. The money you could receive is designed to help you get through a period of unemployment so you are not out of pocket. It is also likely to make your employer think twice about their training or practices in the workplace, so the accident is less likely to happen to workmates in the future.

The Best Way To Make A Work Compensation Claim

Three Examples of Successful No Win No Fee Claims

All the time we see in the news stories of people who have been injured in accidents with horrific, life-changing consequences. We don’t however, ever think that such an accident is likely to affect our own life in the same way.

It would be fairly unlikely for an accident that would cause terrible injuries to happen to us, though it is possible and in these cases it is important to know what to do to deal with the changes ahead.

One of the most important things you can do is to find a personal injury lawyer who has many years experience helping those in need get the compensation they deserve. It is important for you that they are able to do this on a no win no fee basis, as this means you won’t find yourself out of pocket to get access to the legal justice you deserve.

To prove that it is possible to get hold of compensation after you have been injured, here are three of the highest ever payouts made to people who made no win no fee claims themselves:

1) The highest ever settlement in the UK was decided just last month; when a judge awarded 20-year-old brain-damage victim Chrissie Johnson £17.5million. She was travelling in the car as a passenger when it collided with a lorry. She suffered massive head injuries as a result.

2) A cyclist who had formerly appeared in the Commonwealth games received what was the largest ever no win no fee payout in UK history at £14million in September. The cyclist, who was on a training ride at the time, suffered serious injuries resulting in the total loss of use of his right arm, is now registered as partially blind, and requires around-the-clock care.

3) A man who was left paralysed after a car crash received £11.5million in compensation earlier this year, which was, at the time, also the highest UK payout ever. Wasim Mohammed was the passenger in a car that crashed into another vehicles pulling out of a junction. He suffered a broken neck and damaged spinal cord.

Three Examples of Successful No Win No Fee Claims

When To Make A Claim For Motorbike Accident Compensation

Due to the dangerous nature of riding a motorbike, it is very common for a motorcyclist to suffer injuries in an accident. And, although many riders have built up a bad reputation for others, the majority do actually abide by the laws of the road, meaning that the accidents they do have tend to not be their fault.

Legal experts would suggest making a motorbike accident compensation claim in this situation. This is particularly so when the accident could have been avoided, and was only caused by somebody or something else beyond the motorcyclist’s control.

One example of when a rider could claim motorbike accident compensation is when they are involved in an accident with a car driver who has failed to see them. Many motorcyclists are injured every year by cars pulling out of junctions in front of them. Motorbikes are far smaller and therefore harder to see than other cars or lorries and this is even more so the case at night, or in the winter where there are many more hours of darkness that light.

Motorcyclists can also be injured due to the conditions of the road. For example, ice, spillages or potholes can all have an effect on the rider’s ability to keep the bike safely on the tarmac. Where someone else is to blame, a motorbike accident compensation claim can be made. Say you fall off your bike because of an oil tanker spillage. The company that were transporting this delivery to its destination would be deemed responsible and therefore it is likely that you could claim for damages against them if you were suffering with an injury.

No matter how injured you are, if you have been hurt through no fault of your own, a qualified motorbike accident solicitor will be able to get you the compensation your are entitled to. Make sure you choose a lawyer wisely; select one that has a good amount of experience helping others in your situation, and those who genuinely have your best interests to heart.

When To Make A Claim For Motorbike Accident Compensation