October 29th, 2009
A man who suffered brain injuries after he fell 20 feet into a supermarket car park is seeking compensation from Plymouth City Council.
Jonathan Harvey was a physiotherapy student and a keen sportsman in 2003 when he went on a night out with friends, the Plymouth Herald reports.
However, after getting out of a taxi, Mr Harvey allegedly tripped over a fence and plunged 20 feet onto concrete.
He was in hospital for eight months and still finds it difficult to walk and talk because of his brain injury.
The victim has taken legal action against Plymouth City Council for failing to ensure its land was safe for visitors under the Occupiers’ Liability Act.
A spokesperson for the council denied liability, insisting that Mr Harvey was to blame for the accident.
Anyone who suffers a personal injury should seek legal advice within three years of the incident in order to be able to claim compensation.
Tags: Brain Injuries, Brain Injury, Car Park, Concrete, Eight Months, Fence, Friends, Jonathan, Jonathan Harvey, Keen Sportsman, Legal Advice, Mr Harvey, Occupiers Liability Act, personal injury, Plymouth City Council, Spokesperson, Supermarket, Taxi
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October 23rd, 2008
A man who was seriously injured after falling in a pothole has been awarded compensation for the suffering he was caused.
Kyle Bullock, 33, was running to catch up with his friends in Crouch End last year when he stumbled into the 15-inch wide pothole, the Hornsey and Crouch End Journal reports.
He hit his head on the path and suffered damage to the frontal lobe of his brain, as well as a fractured skull.
As a result, he now needs a wheelchair and long-term care. Mr Bullock also had to leave his job and split up with his fiancee after the accident.
Homes for Haringey – which was responsible for maintaining the path – admitted liability, having acknowledged that the road was covered in potholes before Mr Bullock’s accident.
It will now pay Mr Bullock compensation which his lawyers say is likely to exceed a million pounds.
Amanda Bailey, his former fiancee, 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."
According to the BBC’s Inside Out programme, 20 councils have paid out £1 million in damages over the last two years as a result of injuries and damage allegedly caused by potholes.
Tags: 1 Million, Australia, Bbc, Brain Damage, Damages, Fiancee, Fractured Skull, Friends, Frontal Lobe, Haringey, Hornsey, Job, Lawyers, Life Quot, Long Term Care, Pothole, Potholes, Suffering, Wheelchair
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August 14th, 2008
A coroner has issued a warning to parents to stress the dangers of playing in dangerous environments after a young boy was killed in Wales.
Jordan Widdall-Hughes, aged 10, died after falling off a lorry which he had grabbed onto as it passed him in the street.
The boy and his friends had been so-called ‘lorry-surfing’, a craze among some young people which sees them using their mobile phones to film themselves jumping onto lorries and posting the clips on YouTube.
However, Jordan fell as the lorry accelerated and hit his head. He died later in hospital.
Newport coroner David Bowen said: "I hope the parents of youngsters who read this stress to their children that jumping on moving vehicles is an unacceptable, very dangerous and potentially fatal habit."
Roger Vincent, spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents told the BBC that parents should talk to their children about possible risks during the summer holidays in order to avoid further tragedies. 
Tags: Bbc, Coroner, Dangerous Environments, David Bowen, Friends, Habit, Jordan, Lorries, Mobile Phones, Newport, Parents, Prevention, Royal Society For The Prevention Of Accidents, Spokesman, Summer Holidays, Surfing, Tragedies, Wales, Youngsters, Youtube
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