September 11th, 2009
A woman from Salisbury is to make a compensation claim after tripping on an uneven pavement and breaking a bone in her foot.
Janet Street, 62, told the Salisbury Journal the incident happened because of a drop of one inch in the level of the pavement in Albany Road.
She claimed that the pavement in the area is in a "very bad way".
"My foot is in plaster and I will not be able to work for the next four to six weeks," Mrs Street added.
The sheltered housing worker is now planning to make a compensation claim and has taken photographs of the pavement where the incident occurred to use as evidence.
A recent series of Freedom of Information requests by the Liberal Democrats revealed the extent of the problem of poorly-maintained pavements in England.
The requests revealed that local authorities paid out £82 million to settle compensation claims related to injuries caused by uneven pavements between 2004 and 2009.
Tags: Albany Road, Compensation Claim, England, Extent, Freedom Of Information, Information Requests, Janet Street, Liberal Democrats, Local Authorities, Pavements, Personal Injury Compensation, Photographs, Plaster, Quot Quot, Salisbury Journal, Sheltered Housing, Six Weeks, Uneven Pavement, Woman
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July 16th, 2009
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is being sued by a former engineer who claims that the organisation failed to protect him while he was working on a project in Iraq.
Graham Hopps, 45, had been involved in the construction of a power plant in 2003 and was travelling in a Land Rover with his colleagues when a bomb went off.
The blast ripped out Mr Hopps’ shoulder and decapitated another man, which Mr Hopps said still causes him nighmares.
Due to his physical and mental injuries, he has been unable to return to work with the MoD and is now taking legal action against the military body, as well as the engineering company Mott MacDonald.
He claims that the route the team had been ordered to take was "unapproved" and that they should have been given an armoured vehicle.
"In some kind of fatal lottery, my employers and the MoD took unnecessary risks by deciding that others, not me, would get the protection," he commented.
The MoD said it would be inappropriate to comment.
Earlier this month, the MoD was forced to pay compensation to Irish Guards officer Charles Radclyffe after he was injured while jumping into a reservoir, the Salisbury Journal reported.
Tags: Armoured Vehicle, Bomb, Colleagues, Engineer, Engineering Company, Hopps, Iraq, Irish Guards, Land Rover, Lottery, Macdonald, Military Body, Ministry Of Defence, Power Plant, Salisbury Journal, Travelling, Unnecessary Risks
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July 3rd, 2009
An officer who was badly hurt when he jumped from a bridge into a reservoir is to receive millions in compensation after a judge deemed that he had been under pressure to do so.
Charles Radclyffe, 30, was an officer in the Irish Guards in 2003 when he was carrying out duties in Germany, the Salisbury Journal reports.
His senior officer told him he should make the 65-foot leap to prove his bravery and that it would be "bad form" if he did not.
Although they were not on duty at the time, Mr Radclyffe felt under peer pressure to do so and made the jump. However, he landed in the shallow water on his knees and was left disabled.
He had to use a wheelchair for several months and still needs crutches.
An appeal court judge this week ruled that the leap was "not solely his own freely made decision" and ruled that he should receive compensation.
This is likely to run into millions of pounds and Mr Radclyffe is also to receive a £200,000 advance damages payment from the Ministry of Defence.
The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, established in 2005, provides compensation for all injuries, ill health and deaths that occur mostly during service.
Tags: Appeal Court, Armed Forces, Bravery, Compensation Scheme, Court Judge, Crutches, Damages, Deaths, Ill Health, Irish Guards, Knees, Leap, Ministry Of Defence, Peer Pressure, Radclyffe, Salisbury Journal, Shallow Water, Soldier, Wheelchair
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