Wednesday, 6 August 2008

Dog Attack - Claiming Compensation

Author: Jene Pedder

Have you been bitten, attacked or knocked over by a dog and have suffered injuries from this accident, if so you have a legal and civil right to claim compensation. Whether you're an adult or a child who has been attacked by a dog it doesn't matter. The dog may have been off a lead or has got free from his collar whatever the circumstances you shouldn't be suffering in silence. There have been serious dog attacks in the news recently and there are a few where a child has died.

The news coverage of these cases has caused more people to be more aware of dog attacks and some people carry walking sticks, wooden sticks and canes to protect themselves and their dog if another dog was to attack them or their dog. The dog may pounce on you and knock you over but it also may try and bite you. Many dogs have very sharp teeth and therefore puncture wounds are very common but not only may you suffer puncture wounds but also scratches and flesh wounds. You must seek medical attention for dog attack wounds because dogs have several types of bacteria and viral infections in their mouths. If you can remember the breed of the dog that attacked you tell the medical team this helps them in giving you medical treatment.

You need to make sure you get the contact information from the owner of the dog that attacked you so you are able to pass these details onto the police and your solicitor when making your compensation claim. To make a compensation claim you will sue the person who is or has the responsibility of the dog, this person may not be the owner of the dog. The only way you won't make a successful compensation claim against the person responsible for the dog is when that person has done everything they can to protect others if they know there dog may be dangerous.

This includes making sure the dog is secure and can't get out alone, putting Beware of the Dog signs up as well as warning friends, family and neighbours not to approach the dog as it may attack. If the owner has took these measures and someone ignores the signs and measures then the attack may be provoked or on purpose. If the owner proves this they sometimes won't be liable for the attack and compensation due to contributory negligence. If you've suffered injuries and suffering from the dog attack you may be liable to receive compensation.

This compensation will recover any medical costs and fees you've paid and will need to pay in the future, the suffering mentally and physically you have suffered and any loss of earning you may have incurred. If you're worried about costs of a compensation claim then why not think about using a No Win No Fee solicitor. This means you don't have to pay a penny if you don't win the case and if you do you will receive the full amount of compensation awarded. So what have you got to lose, nothing so don't suffer in silence, claim today!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/dog-attack-claiming-compensation-291252.html

About the Author:Jene Pedder is the Webmaster of Accident Consult who specialise in No Win No Fee Dog Attack Compensation Claims .

Are There No Win No Fee Personal Injury Solicitors?

Author: Julian Hall

If you have been involved in an accident in the United Kingdom and as a result you suffered personal injuries, you can be entitled to compensation for the injuries suffered as well as for the expenses you have incurred. It is advisable to look for no win no fee personal injury solicitors in your area or through the internet.

No win no fee personal injury solicitors offer their legal services free of charge and you do not have to spend anything while the personal injury claim is pending. Getting a no win no fee personal injury solicitor is actually the best option for accident victims especially if they do not want to spend money for the filing of the claim.

The internet offers a wide selection of no win no fee personal injury solicitors who will gladly handle the case for you risk free. This means you have the chance to get compensation for the personal injury you suffered and yet you do not have to worry about paying the solicitor. There is also no need for you to spend money on medical reports or other legal fees because the no win no fee solicitor will handle these matters.

The personal injury claims being handled by no win no fee personal injury solicitors range from simple injuries like bumps to major injuries in the head, spinal cord or even the loss of body parts. No win no fee personal injury solicitors have the legal expertise and experience necessary to help you win your claim.

You can have your personal injury claim assessed by a no win no fee solicitor online. He will ask you to fill up some forms or to answer some questions pertaining to the accident. He will based his assessment on your answers and this will be the basis of the procedure that he will ask you to follow to make sure that the compensation claim is successful.

Getting the services of no win no fee personal injury solicitors can help you get justice for the suffering you have endured as a result of the accident. The no win no fee solicitor will not only help you win your case but he will also guide you through the whole compensation claim process.
The no win no fee scheme is advantageous to accident victims who may no longer be able to go to work to support themselves or their families. Getting a no win no fee solicitor to do the legal work for your claim free of charge will be a big help especially during this time when you are suffering from the injury and may have no way of getting financial help to support your claim.

Win or lose, you are risk free because the no win no fee solicitors will not deduct anything from your compensation claim. The compensation claim you will be awarded will be given to you in full and the legal fees will be charged to the

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/are-there-no-win-no-fee-personal-injury-solicitors-33025.html

About the Author:ClaimsMaster Group . Personalinjury Claim , no_win_no_fee_personal_injury

Cars Do not Effectively Protect Against Whiplash

Whiplash claims are one of the most common injuries featuring insurance claims made by insurance companies’ costumers, and this may largely be due to the fact that many cars on the market are not adequately built to protect passengers and prevent whiplash injury.

Most customers are however unaware of this as research on the matter is very limited, greatly due to the recent nature of the knowledge of the fact that whiplash is caused often and badly prevented –in the current situation. City cars are the least effective in preventing whiplash injuries in low-speed rear-end shunts. That’s the stark warning from Thatcham, the insurance industry’s research centre, as it published its new head restraint ratings.

The report explains that drivers are being short-changed on safety, with the front seats of 11 small cars failing miserably to impress testers. Not one was rated as Good, which is described as ‘offering good protection for most sizes of occupant’. And only two were Acceptable, while the vast majority were Marginal. The Fiat Panda and Ford Ka were graded as Poor, which means they ‘offer little protection from whiplash’.

Thatcham’s crash research manager, Matthew Avery, said: “City cars are not equipped to protect their occupants’ necks when they have to absorb the crash energy from larger, heavier vehicles. Combined with poor seat design, this makes whiplash far more likely.”

Avery then added that a good seat design shouldn’t be linked to the cost of the car, and while 75 per cent of all seats tested achieved a Good or Acceptable rating, more needed to be done in the city car sector. This category is growing in size as more motorists choose to drive ‘greener’, cheaper-to-run models which tend to also have better anti-whiplash prevention and protection. The newer modules learn from the past’s faulty ones, explaining why they offer better built vehicles for today’s consumers.

Meanwhile, Thatcham has given its seal of approval to premium manufacturers Audi, Saab and Volvo for achieving a Good rating on every vehicle in their ranges. Whiplash injuries cost the insurance industry millions of pounds annually, according to the Association of British Insurers. The Association also reported that there were 432,000 claims alone in the last financial year, with the average amount paid out to motorists coming in at £3,500 – a whopping £1.5billion claim bill in total.

Thatcham has published complete results of its whiplash tests online. Log on to the website www.thatcham.org to find out how well your car’s front seats performed and consider upgrading to a safer model as it may very well be worth your while –and money. If you opt out from a vehicle upgrade, a cheaper solution on offer could be to get health insurance which covers against whiplash claims. This type of cover would be less pricey than a new car but just as worth it.

Most health insurances cover against whiplash but some do so better than others. If you decide to shop for different health insurance than your current choice, keep certain things in mind. Firstly, ensure they cover you against whiplash specifically. Secondly, have a look at what their requirements are. Does the accident need to be another driver’s fault for you to make your claim? Remember car insurance does not usually cover against whiplash – you need separate health insurance to protect yourself against these risks.

If you are suffering from whiplash, make an appointment to see your GP immediately. You need certified proof from a qualified doctor that you are in actual fact suffering from whiplash, but the doctor is unlikely to sign anything unless he has witnessed the symptoms himself. Whiplash is often short-lived, so go to A&E if necessary.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/personal-injury-articles/cars-do-not-effectively-protect-against-whiplash-461056.html

About the Author:Sofia is an author of several articles pertaining to No Win No Fee, Compensation Claims, Whiplash Claims , Personal Injury Claims and other legal articles.

Calculating Your Whiplash Claim

How much is the pain and discomfort of your whiplash injury worth? A fair question, after all a whiplash injury is painful; so you should be compensated accordingly. Unfortunately, however, the level of compensation you get for your injury following an accident will depend on a number of variable factors.

The whiplash compensation claim
The first of the variable factors will depend on how you make your whiplash injury claim. If you make a compensation claim directly against the insurance company, then you will likely be compensated in accordance with the settlement agreement you make with the insurance company. However, if you decide to seek the advice of a compensation solicitor to handle your whiplash compensation, then you could be entitled to compensation categorised as (i) general damages and (2) special damages.

General damages for whiplash
The overall amount that you may be entitled to under General Damages is difficult to determine as it is paid for the physical pain and suffering (i.e. the actual damage, such as a whiplash neck injury or something more serious) that you encounter as a direct result of the accident you had. You may also be allowed to claim for emotional pain and loss of enjoyment of life as part of General Damages. Finally, if the pain and suffering you encounter as a result of your injury causes you to suffer psychological disorders, such as depression, then this may also be included in your compensation claim. Although General Damage sums awarded by a court will be dependant on their set guidlelines, the details of your medical report detailing the extent of the whiplash, the actual injuries caused, and the possible harm it has had on your emotional state will, all play a pivotal part in the whiplash injury claim.

Special damages for whiplash
Unlike general damages, special damages can be fixed to some degree and are payable to you as a result of you having encountered certain special losses because of the accident. In particular, special damages are payable on any loss of earnings (including any potential loss of future earnings as a result of the accident) you may have to endure while you recover from the accident; car hire expenses you have to pay as a result of your car being in the repair shop; if you have to pay someone to look after you while you recover from your whiplash, these can be recovered; and if you have paid for medical attention to treat the injury, you can also include these in your claim. If you want to claim for special damages you need to keep a careful track of all the payments you have made and where possible you'll need to have receipts.

Insurance settlement
If you decide that you do not want to make a whiplash injury compensation claim through the courts, then you need to agree to enter into a settlement agreement with the insurance company. In this case you need to make sure you read the terms of the settlement agreement very carefully as insurance settlement claims usually contain provisions (1) that the insurance company can pay you in instalments, rather than a one-off lump-sum payment; (2) that once you have been paid the whiplash compensation by the insurance company you cannot reopen the claim in the future to try and get some more money and agree to no longer hold the insurance company liable for any future cost or loss.

Limitation period to bring a claim
If you have recently suffered a whiplash injury, then you have a period of 3 years from the date of the injury in which to bring proceedings to court. If you fail to bring your whiplash claim to the courts within this time you will have forfeited your right to make a claim.

Whiplash injury solicitor
Whether you have suffered a neck injury, back injury, or bruising, in order to know exactly what your rights are you should seek a consultation with a personal injury solicitor or lawyer as soon as you can following the accident and in any case before you agree to sign any settlement agreement with any insurance company as they are not obligated to tell you what your legal rights are but also what compensation you should be entitled to. Whiplash claims are never easy to deal with but following the advice in this article should lighten the burden.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/personal-injury-articles/calculating-your-whiplash-claim-507172.html

About the Author:Christian is an author of several articles pertaining to No Win No Fee, Compensation Claims, Whiplash Claims , Personal Injury Claims and other legal articles.

Insurance Whiplash- Awarded When Your Case is Proven

Insurance whiplash is claimed by people who suffer whiplash injuries. Whiplash is a serious injury that happens by the backward and forward movement of a person’s head due to sudden acceleration or deceleration of a vehicle that sustains a collision. The pain may be due to the stretching of the neck muscles or ligaments which sometimes produce muscle spasm. Whiplash injury is very painful and the person may suffer a long term pain or even be immobilized. The victim can claim insurance for whiplash but it is not so easy to get insurance whiplash.

People may experience symptoms of whiplash injuries either that day itself or two or more days after the accident. Symptoms of whiplash injury such as stiffness in neck, pain in neck and shoulders, headaches, pain in the shoulder blades, pain in the cervical part of the spine, numbness at the back, low back pain, irritability, ringing in the ears, fatigue, sleeplessness, blurred vision, poor concentration and dizziness may appear.

Most injuries involve cervical region of the spine. Because of this, people in the insurance claims are suspicious, when people claim compensation for whiplash as injury. Many insurance people believe that those who come to claim for whiplash may intend to deceive, defraud or cheat the insurance company assuming to be whiplash injury .

To claim insurance whiplash, the claimant should have sufficient proof to confirm that the injury is authentic. To prove that the claimant is suffering a whiplash injury, he must produce a medical report from a doctor clearly describing that it is a whiplash injury. The doctor’s medical report should provide specific details about the injury like how acute and painful the whiplash injury is and what type of whiplash injury the patient is suffering.

It is very horrifying to know that car accidents reported by the National Transportation office are over three million every year and the insurance companies pay nearly 20 billion dollars annually. Insurance company provides enormous amount of data regarding whiplash injuries and the amount paid to settle down the claim.

Some of the damages of whiplash injury that should be ruled out properly are replacement and repair of the property including the vehicle and any personal property, loss of salary and future wages or earning capacity, payment of medical bills related to the accident and future expenses and compensation for pain in neck, shoulder and the back. This would help settle down the insurance claims for whiplash injury .

There may be several ways to convince the people in the insurance company, the judge or the jury but the case should be worth to claim compensation for whiplash injury. The important thing is that the claimant should provide documentation for all the losses and injuries that have been sustained. This would prove that the case is worth to the insurance company.

Insurance whiplash can be claimed when the case is worth and all the documents are real and proved. The amount to be claimed from the insurance company depends on the victim and the accident.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/insurance-whiplash-awarded-when-your-case-is-proven-365602.html

About the Author:Insurance whiplash claims are passed only after a careful assessment is made of all the evidence provided.

Saturday, 12 July 2008

Factory Accident Claims

Factory accident claim can be used when sudden occurrences like accident or injuries take place especially in workplace caused by dangerous apparatus. Factories are known to have machineries that may endanger a worker’s life if not utilized properly. Thus, it is important to take necessary precautions in avoiding unforeseen factory accident. In order to do away industrial accident there are certain things that should be carefully checked. Wearing appropriate garments when working in the factory is required. This may include proper footwear and proper factory garments. The factory setting should also conform to the kind of operation being utilized on the floor. Lastly, an efficient training among workers is one of the keys in avoiding accidents at the workplaces.

Factory accident claim is a way of aiding an injured employee. If in any case, the company is found to have shortcomings and machine deficiency were discovered they will be liable for the accident and therefore a worker is entitled for a factory accident compensation claim.

Knowing your rights as an employee should be properly exercised. If you happen to acquire accidents at work or even unintentionally injure yourself in the course of operating a machine, it is best for you to inform the experts.

Lifting Accident at Work Claim

Lifting injury claim is acquired by people who suffered from back injuries due to the demand of unsafe lifting in workplaces in UK. The British Government has amended a strict compliance and legislation concerning lifting in different companies in UK. Employers are subject to abide to these rules or they would face the consequences of compensating an employee due to back injuries. Employees in return should also follow strict regulations when lifting. If there will be cases that a worker failed to abide to rules set such as an incorrect way for lifting machinery or not taking proper orders from superiors will be disqualified for the claim.

Employers are asked to discourage any form of lifting jobs and activities done by its workers to avoid the risk of having back injuries. If there are necessary machineries that needs lifting, a mechanical aid is deemed necessary. Employers are also required to carry on risk assessment procedures in completing the task. Failure to comply with the risk assessment guidelines will be subject for compensating an employee of the damage that has been done.

An employee can file a lifting injury claim if the employer is found responsible for such acts. In order to avoid injuries, an employer should therefore give adequate training and seminars as well as practical procedures of the proper way of doing lifting jobs. Most companies continue to encounter such cases due to the constant negligence on the part of the company.

Thus, if you think you’ve experienced or even encountered cases like the failure of an employer to abide to proper lifting procedures through the use of mechanical aid or not employing risk assessment in your workplace, then filing a claim for lifting injury should be the one to trigger your fight against hazardous lifting jobs and abusive employers.