Pages On: Public Place Accidents

Holidaymaker receives £23000 in compensation following slip

Posted: 4 April 2016

Posted in: Accidents and Sickness Abroad, Arm Injury, Public Place Accidents

A holidaymaker has been given compensation of £23,000 after slipping on wet stairs whilst on holiday in Turkey. The injured party had been returning to his hotel from visiting the hotel’s facilities which was adjoined by an underpass accessed by a flight of stairs. The stairs were being hosed down and cleaned at the time the claimant was returning to the hotel when he slipped and fell, causing fractures to his wrist bone and damage to his cartilage. The claimant stated that a member of the resort’s staff had been hosing down the…

Alton Towers owner prosecuted for rollercoaster crash

Posted: 2 March 2016

Posted in: Knee Injury, Leg Injuries, Public Place Accidents

The owner of Alton Towers, Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd, is to be prosecuted following the Smiler rollercoaster crash last year. The crash left five people with very serious injuries, with two women losing a leg and three others seriously injured. The company will appear in front of North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 22 April charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The accident occurred when the moving carriage collided with a stationary carriage on the same track, and has been attributed to human error. The four people sitting at the…

Dog owner fined £1,000 after attack in bar

Posted: 31 December 2015

Posted in: Animal Attacks, Head and Brain Injuries, Public Place Accidents, Restaurant Accidents

A dog owner from north Wales has been ordered to pay a young girl £1,000 in compensation after his dog attacked her in a bar. The German Pointer had been wandering around inside The Cuckoo Club last August when a nine-year-old girl bent down to stroke it. CCTV footage from inside the bar shows the dog snapping at the girl’s face, leaving her with serious bite marks on her nose. Owner of the dog, called Katie, 65-year-old David Chapman admitted to owning a dangerously out of control dog that caused…

Wedding ruined by foot injury in hotel

Posted: 30 November 2015

Posted in: Foot Injuries, Hotel Accidents, Personal Injury, Public Place Accidents

47-year-old Lesley Hegarty has been awarded a five-figure sum of compensation after a foot injury suffered during the morning of her wedding ruined her entire day. The incident happened at Liverpool’s Adelphi Hotel in May 2011. At 9:30am Mrs Hegarty went through the main entrance’s revolving doors to go outside after her breakfast. As she went through the doors, however, she hit the back of her right heel. As she shouted for help, she realised there was blood everywhere. It was found that a screw had been missing from the…

Mud and rain injures 1000 festival goers

Posted: 30 August 2015

Posted in: Foot Injuries, Leg Injuries, Personal Injury, Public Place Accidents

According to the medics that worked at this year’s V Festival in Weston Park, Staffordshire, a number of people were quite badly injured because of the mud. A storm hit the festival on the Saturday, which saw torrential downpours flood the campsites and arenas. It was recorded that ambulance crews were called to the scene of the festival 178 times because of mud-related injuries, treating a total of 1,000 people on site. A total of 36 people required hospital treatment. A report showed that injuries ranged from suspected fractured ankles…

Family narrowly misses injury and food poisoning on ‘holiday from hell’

Posted: 29 July 2015

Posted in: Accidents and Sickness Abroad, Food Poisoning, Hotel Accidents

A British family has described their all-inclusive Thomas Cook break as a ‘holiday from hell’. Alan and Sarah O’Rourke from Cheshire had high expectations after spending £1,500 on the family holiday at the four-star Cabogata Mar Hotel & Spa in Spain, which were quickly shattered. Mr O’Rourke narrowly missed serious injury after the bathroom tiles began to fall on him in the shower, followed by the family being served raw sausages in the hotel restaurant. Mrs O’Rourke said that she noticed damage to the bathroom tiles when they first arrived…

Two assaulted men to receive £100k injury payout from police force

Posted: 20 July 2015

Posted in: Criminal Injury and Assault, Personal Injury, Public Place Accidents

Two men are suing Dorset Police for more than £100,000 after they were unnecessarily pepper-sprayed after a night out in Weymouth. The two brothers-in-law, John Naylor and Darren Corbridge, are to receive five-figure sums each, and the police have agreed to pay legal costs of around £90,000 following the incident in August 2010. The incident occurred when the men had been celebrating the stag night of future groom Stewart Roberts. While they waited in the taxi queue, arguments broke out, causing the police to intervene. CCTV footage showed one officer…

Woman falls into hole in pavement outside cafe

Posted: 2 May 2015

Posted in: Pothole Injuries, Public Place Accidents

A woman in her 40s was rescued by cafe worker, Mohammad Atilla, after falling down a hole in the pavement just minutes after a man had fallen down the same hole, twisting his ankle. Workers in the area also rushed to help the woman when they heard a loud scream just before 9 o’clock in the morning.  The victims had fallen into a 3 foot wide chasm that had appeared outside a cafe on North End Road in Fulham, south west London. Emergency services were called for the female victim who was…

Cathedral suing the NHS after worshipper claims for foot injury

Posted: 1 April 2015

Posted in: Foot Injuries, Medical Negligence, NHS Claims, Public Place Accidents

A cathedral in North Yorkshire is currently suing the NHS after it was forced to payout to a worshipper who was not immediately treated after injuring himself during a service. Christopher Shepherd attended the surface at the Ripon Cathedral in North Yorkshire two days before Christmas in 2009, when he tripped and fractured his foot. The severity of the injury left Mr Shepherd unable to walk and requiring the use of a wheelchair. Lawyers argue that negligent medical treatment is to blame for the development of Mr Shepherd’s injuries. They…

Trips and falls lead to £50,000 injury compensation bill

Posted: 3 March 2015

Posted in: Pedestrian Injuries, Pothole Injuries, Public Place Accidents

Slips, trips and falls have resulted in more than £50,000 being paid out by Norwich City Council to injured pedestrians. The council blames City Hall budgets, saying that if they continue to see cuts, the pavements will only continue to deteriorate, causing more injuries. Of the 49 claims involving trips or falls in the last twelve months, the city council defended 40 of them. Of those 40, only 9 received compensation – totaling £52,427. This figure was even greater than the previous year, with 2012/13 seeing 6 compensation payouts, totaling…

Devon councils payout £2.5m to personal injury claimants

Posted: 2 October 2014

Posted in: Neck Injuries, Pedestrian Injuries, Personal Injury, Pothole Injuries, Public Place Accidents, Spine & Back Injuries

Figures have revealed that two Devon councils have paid out around £2.5m to personal injury claimants in the last four years alone. The incidents included people tripping on pavements to people falling into a harbour. One of the councils, Plymouth City Council, paid out the majority at £2.1m, while Torbay Council paid out £400,000 to claimants. Both figures were disclosed following a Freedom of Information request. The highest payout made was by Plymouth Council in 2010: £105,000 to a claimant who suffered a severe back injury after tripping due to a “footway…

Police force pays out £400k in injury compensation

Posted: 25 August 2014

Posted in: Car Accidents, Public Place Accidents, Workplace Injuries

New figures have revealed that Norfolk Police Force has paid out a total of £400,000 in compensation to the public and its own staff. The figures were obtained through a Freedom of Information request, showing the force to be in the top five emergency services for payouts. The figures further revealed the force to be the second highest paying police force, behind the Met in London. Of the £400,000 paid-out, the highest sum was £160,000 to an officer who suffered personal injuries in a car accident.  This was only one of the…

FA to research effects of head injuries on players

Posted: 12 August 2014

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Sporting Injuries

A long-running campaign has finally triggered the Football Association to carry out research into the effects of head injuries sustained within the sport. After West Bromwich Albion player, Jeff Astle, died from a brain condition in 2002, his family has met with the FA chairman to discuss what can be done to prevent future fatalities. Jeff Astle died at age 59 from a condition that is most commonly linked to boxing, despite having been originally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. After years of campaigning for something to be done, Mr Astle’s family…

Only five of 241 pothole injury claimants win compensation

Posted: 9 August 2014

Posted in: Arm Injury, Head and Brain Injuries, Pothole Injuries, Public Place Accidents

Recently released figures have revealed that in Buckinghamshire only 5 out of 241 pothole injury claimants actually receive compensation. The figures were obtained by a Freedom of Information request by the Bucks Advertiser, revealing that only a very small percentage of people injured by potholes over the last five years won any compensation. The five successful claimants cost Bucks County Council £117,000. Mark Shaw, the deputy cabinet member for transportation, said that the council only pays out when they have failed to meet their duty of care. The figures were released after a…

Commonwealth athlete changed event following injury

Posted: 1 August 2014

Posted in: Knee Injury, Personal Injury, Sporting Injuries

Four years ago Olivia Curran planned to represent the Isle of Man in gymnastics at the Commonwealth Games.  However, following a serious knee ligament injury, the teenage gymnast was ruled out of the Dehli Games. The accident happened during a training routine manoeuver only days before the event. On Saturday, however, Olivia Curran will be representing the Isle of Man in the pole vault following an event transformation. The 23-year-old will be competing in Glasgow as a pole vaulter. She is the first Manx female gymnast to compete at the Commonwealth Games and…

Council pays out £83 a day for pothole damage

Posted: 31 July 2014

Posted in: Foot Injuries, Pedestrian Injuries, Pothole Injuries, Public Place Accidents, Road Traffic Accidents

A council is found to be paying out the equivalent of £83 a day in compensation due to the damage being caused by potholes. Barking and Dagenham Council has paid out a total of £182,635 in the last six years to claimants seeking compensation for personal injury and vehicle damage. The figures were released as part of a Freedom of Information request. It found that a total of 22 claims had been made against the council in relation to pothole damage between January and May 2014, (compared with 40 in the entire…

Police dog attacks on innocents increasingly common

Posted: 26 July 2014

Posted in: Animal Attacks, Public Place Accidents, Wrongful & Accidental Death

New figures have revealed that in the last three years alone, around 150 people have been bitten by a police dog. This issue was raised after 73-year-old Irene Collins was bitten by a police dog in her home last week. She died in hospital shortly after the incident. The dog that bit Mrs Collins in her Middlesbrough home has been removed from duty, but a decision regarding its future in the service is yet to be decided. It was heard that the dog’s handler, who had been on leave at the time…

Woman fights for £300k in compensation following elephant attack

Posted: 25 June 2014

Posted in: Accidents and Sickness Abroad, Animal Attacks

One of the country’s top lawyers is to receive £300,000 in personal injury compensation after she was attacked by a rampaging elephant while on safari in Africa. She has sued the safari firm and her guide following the accident. Caroline Pratte suffered multiple fractures and abdominal wounds in the attack that happened on an exclusive holiday in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia in October 2010. Ms Pratte’s partner Andrew Ness has also claimed for ‘psychological injury’ after witnessing the attack, despite the fact that he was not physically injured. The couple is…

Sheffield council owes huge compensation bill

Posted: 13 June 2014

Posted in: Faulty Work Equipment, Public Place Accidents, School Accidents, Workplace Injuries

Sheffield Council is to face a huge compensation bill following the number of accidents that happened in the last five years. With the total compensation to be paid-out standing at around £16million, a child injured in a playground and an injury caused by a bollard are among the many claims that expect compensation from the council.  A total of 3,145 legal claims were made against the council between 2008 and 2013. The total of these claims came to £16,597,794, which included personal injury claims, property and car damage claims, and loss…

£2m in workers compensation to council staff

Posted: 22 April 2014

Posted in: Knee Injury, School Accidents, Spine & Back Injuries, Workplace Injuries, Workplace Slip

New figures have revealed that councils have paid out over £2 million in compensation to staff who have successfully claimed for workplace injuries. The cases included individuals claiming for slips, trips and falls, assaults, and many other workplace injuries. Two of the claimants were awarded compensation after suffering “psychological abuse”, while another school staff member received £200,000 in compensation after being assaulted in a special-needs school. The figures were released through a Freedom of Information request, revealing that more than 100 council workers were successful in gaining compensation since 2009. Norfolk County Council…

Hammer attack victim left with severe brain injuries

Posted: 13 April 2014

Posted in: Arm Injury, Criminal Injury and Assault, Head and Brain Injuries, Hotel Accidents

A victim of a hotel hammer attack has been left with only 5% brain function and severe facial injuries. The woman was with her two sisters at the Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch when the attack happened earlier this month. The attacker, 33-year-old Philip Spence, has been remanded in custody charged with three accounts of attempted murder. The main victim suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack, including the loss of large quantities of blood, the loss of one eye, and a significant loss of brain function. Despite this, her other organs are in…

£33,000 paid out for injuries in Doncaster’s schools

Posted: 6 April 2014

Posted in: Personal Injury, Public Place Accidents, School Accidents

Newly released figures have found that almost £33,000 has been paid-out in compensation to children that have injured themselves in Doncaster’s schools. This figure represents the compensation paid out by the authority in the last five years, with the highest payout standing at £7,000. Only nine claimants were awarded compensation out of the 76 personal injury claims made against Doncaster Council. The Employment Law Advisory Service suggests that more money should be invested in staff training to decrease this figure. The ELAS, a firm specialising in business support services, said that this high…

£14,000 compensation to pensioner following trip and fall

Posted: 27 March 2014

Posted in: Pothole Injuries, Public Place Accidents, Shoulder Injuries

Thousands of pounds worth of compensation has been awarded to a pensioner who tripped and fell on an uneven road surface in Yeadon. The 88-year-old grandmother, Jean Whitters, sustained serious injuries in the accident on Yeadon High Street, and accepted £14,000 settlement from the authority. The accident happened in August of 2012, two years after the roads had undergone a £1million regeneration scheme. Even though the regeneration scheme saw major improvements on the roads, councillors still argued that it was not up to standard. Following this, the roads were resurfaced again prior…

Holiday accident means father-of-two will never work again

Posted: 12 March 2014

Posted in: Accidents and Sickness Abroad, Leg Injuries, Public Place Accidents

Doctors have informed 46-year-old Des Jarvis that he will never work again following a waterslide accident that happened when he was on holiday in Turkey. The father-of-two from Peterborough has been left with one leg shorter than the other following multiple operations to save his leg. The accident happened when Mr Jarvis catapulted into the wall of a swimming pool after coming down a waterslide in the family resort. He broke his leg in six places and required five operations to save the bone from infection. The operations involved doctors having to break…

£45,000 worth of claims against Blackpool schools

Posted: 22 September 2013

Posted in: Public Place Accidents, School Accidents, Workplace Injuries, Workplace Slip

Blackpool council is currently facing £45,000 worth of compensation claims from pupils, staff and visitors of their schools. Between September 2010 and May 2013, a Freedom of Information request found that 36 claims for personal injury compensation had been filed against the council’s primary and secondary schools. The claims range from children being “hit by a football” to one child who made a claim after “being pushed and suffering an injury”. Despite the numerous compensation claims made to Blackpool Council, it has only sought to defend 75% of the 36 cases…

Woman plunges to her death at popular tourist attraction

Posted: 28 June 2013

Posted in: Personal Injury, Public Place Accidents, Wrongful & Accidental Death

Emergency services were called at 4pm on Saturday after a woman, who had been walking with her partner, tripped and fell from a 100ft cliff. The woman was immediately rushed to Broadford Hospital on Skye, but was later pronounced dead by a police spokesman. Viewpoint for extensive wildlife Many visit the popular tourist attraction ‘Neist Point’ on the Isle of Skye every year. Being the most westerly point of the isle, it is very popular amongst tourists for its stunning views: being regarded as the best place to see the island’s…

Falling store mirror causes child’s death

Posted: 20 June 2013

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Personal Injury, Public Place Accidents, Shop Accidents, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A young boy has died after a mirror fell in designer clothing shop ‘Hugo Boss’. Four-year-old Austen Harrison suffered severe head injuries, which caused his death in hospital on the 8th of June after shopping with family at the Bicester Village fashion outlet in Oxford. Described by relatives as being a “bright and vibrant boy”, he died four days after the store accident at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Thames Valley Police are investigating the death alongside help from the Cherwell District Council, which are assisting with health and safety…

Illegal gas work causes serious explosion

Posted: 30 May 2013

Posted in: Arm Injury, Foot Injuries, Hand Injuries, Leg Injuries, Personal Injury, Public Place Accidents

Daniel George Hickling, 39, from Howsham, Lincolnshire, has been prosecuted with an 11-month prison sentence suspended for two years, 300 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £2,000 after carrying out illegal gas work in a Nettleton home.  Trading as DGH Plumbing and Heating, Mr Hickling was hired to reduce the height of two redundant gas pipes in an old kitchen as plans were in place for the room to be converted into a living room. After leaving the property, Mr Hickling had failed to switch the gas supply back…

Compensation awarded for pothole trip leading to brain injury

Posted: 20 March 2013

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Pothole Injuries, Public Place Accidents

An Australian charity worker has been awarded “substantial damages” after he tripped in a pothole in South London and sustained a serious brain injury, reports the BBC. The incident occurred in 2007, when Kyle Bullock tripped in a three-inch deep pothole in Haringey. He was unable to break his fall because of the steep gradient of the road, and he also claims the road was badly lit. He required brain surgery for injuries sustained in his fall, and has been left with epilepsy. He now has daily care needs and…

Slip, Trips and Falls in Public Places

Posted in: Public Place Accidents

If you have suffered an injury in a public place as a result of an accident that was not your fault then you could be entitled to make a compensation claim against the responsible party. The responsible party is the person or organisation that was the occupier of the place where the accident happened. This could be a supermarket in which a customer slips on some liquid or a local authority who fails to correct uneven paving resulting in a trip or fall. If you have been injured in public…

Accident Abroad Compensation

Posted in: Accidents and Sickness Abroad, Public Place Accidents

Accidents which happen in foreign countries can leave you with lots of problems, the least of which is that your holiday is over! Pursuing legal claims abroad can be expensive and complicated, and you need to make sure you get all the information you need before deciding on the next steps to take to claim compensation. Whatever your circumstances, our Wakefield team of specialist personal injury solicitors will examine your situation and guide you on how to proceed. Claims For Accidents Outside The UK You may have travel insurance in…