Two More Common Injury Claims
Following after road traffic accidents and work injuries, here are the next most common causes of successful injury claims.
Medical negligence injury: Medical negligence never really seems to be out of the news these days: the NHS already pays a huge amount of money for all varieties of injury.
The premise is simple: health practitioners are responsible for the well-being of patients in their care. they have spent many years in intensive training and in the huge majority of circumstances give their patients their utmost attention and the benefit of their vast knowledge. But they are only human and sometimes mistakes happen.
Unfortunately, when doctors make mistakes, their actions, or lack thereof, can have rather more resounding consequences than when somebody in a different profession does the same.
If a person has been affected by the malpractice of a medical practitioner, whether they are a GP, a surgeon, a midwife or a nurse, then they could be eligible to seek compensation.
The consequences of medical negligence can be far-reaching: many cases revolve round the tragic circumstances of a baby suffering injury during birth, for example suffering brain damage due to oxygen starvation. In this situation, the claimants argue that the medical staff should have realised that the foetus was in danger and taken swift steps to ensure no further harm was caused, possibly by performing a Caesarian section. This echoes the case of Georgina Archer, who was left with cerebral palsy and tetraplegia after being starved of oxygen in the womb.
Xavier Cutillo, born last December, was injured when doctors used what was described as excessive force during delivery, resulting in him suffering injury to his skull and eye.
Alternatively, there are misdiagnosis cases, such as that of Neal Allen, whose doctors did not heed warnings of the higher risk of stroke of which their patient ran due to a medical condition. Sadly, that is what resulted, and Mr Allen will now need 24/7 care for the rest of his life, for which he claimed £2million.
Public liability injury: This is more commonly referred to as 'slip, trip or fall' and covers scenarios where a member of the public has an accident through a failing of a public body that is responsible for ensuring maximum public safety at all times. Someone who trips on an uneven paving stone or falls in a pothole could claim from the local authority charged with the upkeep of the road or pathway.
Someone walking down a set of outdoor steps that falls when the banister gives way and they overbalance, or someone who bangs their head and hurts themselves on a low branch, could all make a claim. These rules apply to businesses as well. They are also responsible for the welfare of their employees, but owe a separate duty of care to visitors to their premises.
If you slip on a spillage in your local store that has not been signposted, or trip on an uneven surface and sustain injury, you may have an injury claim.
About the Author
Richard Craig is a UK-based writer, exploring what can lead to a successful injury claim
Tell others about
this page:
Comments? Questions? Email Here