September 22nd, 2009
A new proposal put forward to the government has suggested that motorists should be liable for compensation for all crashes involving cyclists or pedestrians, even if they were not at fault.
The suggested changes have been outlined by the Department for Transport-funded body Cycling England, which has said it would encourage more people to get out of their cars and onto bicycles.
Under the proposed legislation, the party with the most powerful vehicle would become liable, for instance, the motorist in cases between a car and a bike, or the cyclist in crashes involving a bike and a pedestrian.
However, motoring groups have reacted with anger, stating that it would create disharmony on the roads.
Germany and Holland have both already adopted such laws.
According to statistics from the Department for Transport, 2,538 people were killed in road accidents in 2008. The number of cyclists involved in fatal road crashes totalled 115 during the same period.
Tags: Anger, Bicycles, Cars, Cyclists, Disharmony, England, Fatal Crashes, Germany, Holland, Motorists, Pedestrian, Pedestrians, Proposal, Proposed Legislation, Road Accidents, Road Crashes, Statistics
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
September 16th, 2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned employers that they must provide safe working environments after a man was killed in a forklift truck accident.
Shaun Porter, 31, was working at Trackline (International) in Northampton in 2007 and was attempting to move a load of material from one side of the factory to another.
There was a vehicle frame in the gangway and although Mr Porter lifted the load to avoid it, he clipped the frame with his vehicle and it overturned.
The victim was crushed and died instantly.
An investigation by the HSE discovered that there was no official gangway in the factory and no marked access routes for employees to use.
HSE inspector Jo Anderson said: "Companies must understand the importance of managing transport in the workplace in order to prevent a tragedy like this happening again in the future."
Additional statistics from the organisation show that there were 35 fatal injuries to manufacturing workers in 2007-08, as well as 5,097 reported major injuries.
Tags: Fatal Injuries, Forklift Truck, Gangway, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Hse, Man Health, Mr Porter, Northampton, Statistics, Tragedy, Truck Accident, Vehicle Frame, Working Environments
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
September 7th, 2009
Mistakes by NHS staff in prescribing and administering drugs cause moderate or severe harm to more than 220 patients every month, according to a new report.
Figures compiled by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) show that there were 86,085 reported medication mistakes during 2007, although it is believed only around ten per cent of incidents were recorded.
The vast majority of the mistakes resulted in little or no harm to patients. However, 37 patients died as a result of medication incidents, 63 suffered severe harm and 2,710 errors caused moderate harm.
NPSA statistics showed that 41 per cent of the most serious incidents were caused by mistakes in the administration of drugs, while 32 per cent resulted from prescribing mistakes.
Responding to the NPSA’s report, Norman Lamb, health spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, called on NHS officials to ensure systems to protect patient safety are in place.
He added: "Settling claims for damages costs the NHS nearly £1 billion per year, which could be spent on patient care."
Tags: 1 Billion, Administration Of Drugs, Damages, Deaths, Health, Lead, Liberal Democrats, Medication, Medication Mistakes, National Patient Safety, National Patient Safety Agency, Nhs, Norman Lamb, Npsa, Patient Care, Patient Safety Agency, Spokesman, Statistics
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
August 19th, 2009
The rate of clinical errors in Cumbria’s two hospitals is among the highest in the country, it has been revealed.
Statistics released this week have shown that £5.3 million was paid out to the victims of clinical negligence by North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in 2008-09, the News and Star reports.
One woman who said she is not surprised by the news is Charlene Steel, whose baby suffered a brain injury because of errors at his birth at Cumberland Infirmary. She said she would travel elsewhere if she needed to use hospital services again.
This comes after figures for the UK as a whole showed that clinical negligence payouts reached £807 million last year, up by 22 per cent on the figure from 2007-08.
There were 8,885 claims brought against NHS trusts for medical blunders, it was found.
Anyone affected by errors during their hospital treatment should seek the advice of a solicitor specialising in clinical negligence claims.
Tags: Acute Hospitals Nhs Trust, Blunder, Brain Injury, Charlene, Clinical Negligence Claims, Cumberland, Cumberland Infirmary, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Hospitals Uk, Medical Blunders, Nhs Trusts, North Cumbria Acute Hospitals, Solicitor Specialising, Star Reports, Statistics
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
July 7th, 2009
A man who claims he was exposed to excessive levels of noise during his time as a textile worker is seeking compensation from his former employer.
Peter Conroy, 70, worked for Robin Wools in Bradford from 1962 to 1967 and again between 1968 and 1989, the Bradford Telegraph and Argus reports.
He maintains that he never received any hearing protection while working with the noisy machinery and that he now needs a hearing aid.
"You do not realise how much your everyday life depends upon your hearing until you are affected by hearing loss," Mr Conroy commented.
He added that he is hoping more people who used to work for the company will come forward in order to launch large-scale legal action.
According to statistics from the Health and Safety Executive, some 21,000 people who worked in the last 12 months were suffering hearing problems which they believed to be work-related between 2007 and 2008.
Tags: 12 Months, Bradford Telegraph And Argus, Conroy, Everyday Life, Excessive Levels, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Hearing Aid, Hearing Loss, Hearing Problems, Hearing Protection, Industrial Deafness, Robin Wools, Statistics, Telegraph And Argus, Textile Worker, Worker Compensation
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
