June 16th, 2009
A woman who had to give up her job as a teacher after a tree branch fell on her is suing the Environment Agency for up to £300,000.
Doreen Prior, 58, was walking through the East Sussex nature reserve Barcombe Mills in April 2007 when an ash branch fell on her head, the Telegraph attests.
She suffered fairly serious injuries and has been left with memory problems and exhaustion. For this reason, she had to give up her job as a secondary school geography teacher.
Ms Prior said she has decided to take legal action against the Environment Agency, claiming that it had failed its duty to the public by not spotting and removing the dangerous bough.
"I’m just so worried this could happen to a child," she commented.
The Environment Agency declined to comment.
According to figures from the Health and Safety Executive, three people each year are killed by falling trees in public places.
Tags: Ash Branch, Barcombe Mills, Bough, East Sussex, Environment Agency, Exhaustion, Geography Teacher, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Job, Memory Problems, Nature Reserve, School Geography, Secondary School, Sussex, Teacher Ms, Telegraph, Trees, Woman
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May 22nd, 2009
A motorist has been awarded compensation after being wrongly pursued by bailiffs regarding a parking ticket.
The unnamed man was given two parking tickets in May 2004, but Hastings council in East Sussex swiftly rescinded the first, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Soon afterwards, it also removed the second. However, bailiffs were not told and they pursued the motorist, causing him a great deal of mental stress.
He took legal action against the council, which admitted its error and agreed to a payout of £1,000 for the upset it caused.
"We are obviously sorry for the distress that was caused in this case because, as far as we are concerned, we did indeed call off the bailiffs," said a council spokesperson.
Figures cited by the Sunday Times reveal that 24,646 appeals a year are found in favour of the motorist in London, a success rate of more than 57 per cent.
Tags: Bailiffs, Daily Telegraph, East Sussex, Favour, Hastings Council, London, Mental Stress, Parking Ticket, Parking Tickets, Spokesperson, Success Rate, Sunday Times, Sussex, Unnamed Man
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April 6th, 2009
A woman who lost her husband to the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma has secured compensation of £290,000, it has emerged.
The widow, who has not been named, took legal action after her spouse died aged 61 after being exposed to the building material while teaching chemistry in East Sussex for 34 years.
He breathed in fibres and dust while using equipment for science demonstrations and experiments and died in September 2007.
The woman took legal action against East Sussex council and has now secured a payout.
"My husband just didn’t know what danger he was exposing himself to on a daily basis," she commented.
A council spokesperson said the authority strives to provide a safe working environment for staff and pupils.
If a person or their surviving partner can prove they were exposed to asbestos as a result of negligence, a claim for compensation may be made as a result and the advice of a solicitor should be sought.
Tags: Building Material, Cancer Mesothelioma, Chemistry, Daily Basis, East Sussex, Exposed, Fibres, Negligence, Pupils, Science Demonstrations, Solicitor, Spokesperson, Sussex, Woman, Working Environment
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March 31st, 2009
The families of 13 people who died as a result of an outbreak of the hospital superbug Clostridium difficile are taking legal action to pursue a possible clinical negligence claim, it has emerged.
According to the Eastbourne Herald, 62 cases of the bacteria have been noted at Eastbourne District General Hospital, where the deaths occurred, since January.
Local MP Nigel Waterman has called for an urgent review into why the hospital has not managed to contain the superbug and the particularly virulent 027 strain, which kills six out of ten people it infects.
The East Sussex Hospitals Trust is now facing legal action from the families of the 13 people who died amid allegations that it did not protect the welfare of its patients.
C difficile mainly affects elderly people who are admitted to hospital to be treated for other problems.
It is an infection of the lower intestine which can cause diarrhoea, ulceration, colitis and perforation of the intestine, which can prove fatal, the Department of Health attests.
Tags: Allegations, Bacteria, Clinical Negligence, Clostridium Difficile, Colitis, Department Of Health, Diarrhoea, District General Hospital, East Sussex, Eastbourne District General Hospital, Eastbourne Herald, Hospital Deaths, Hospital Superbug, Lower Intestine, Negligence Claim, Outbreak, Perforation, Sussex, Waterman, Welfare
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February 5th, 2009
An NHS trust is to pay a woman compensation after her husband died from contracting legionnaires’ disease while in a hospital.
Paul Duncan, 41, was admitted to Eastbourne District General Hospital in 2007 in order to have chemotherapy treatment for cancer, Eastbourne Today reports.
However, while in one of the hospital’s showers, he was exposed to bacteria and went on to contract legionnaires’ disease.
Mr Duncan died two months later. His widow Clare is seeking compensation from East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, alleging that he could have had a bone marrow transplant and lived for another five years if he had not been exposed to the bacteria.
She claims that the hospital did not take sufficient measures to ensure the showers were clean and had not installed legionella filters.
The trust has now agreed to a compensation settlement, although the exact amount has not yet been decided.
Earlier this month, it was reported that a man had won a court case against tour operator First Choice after contracting legionnaires’ disease while on holiday.
Tags: Bacteria, Bone Marrow Transplant, Cancer, Chemotherapy, Chemotherapy Treatment, Court Case, District General Hospital, East Sussex, Exposed, First Choice, Hospitals, Legionnaires Disease, Measures, Mr Duncan, Nhs Trust, Paul Duncan, Showers, Sussex, Tour Operator, Woman
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