Archive for January, 2010

Now that the snow and ice has gone from many of the roads in England and Wales

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Now that the snow and ice has gone from many of the roads in England and Wales, they have left behind another potential hazard for motorists – potholes.  With temperatures hovering around freezing for much of the past three weeks, the conditions have been just right to allow many potholes to form.

Potholes pose a danger to all road users.  The sudden jolt you get from driving or riding over a pothole could be a distraction at just the wrong moment, or it could even mean you lose control of your vehicle.

It isn’t just concentration and control that can be affected by potholes; poorly maintained roads can cause damage to your vehicle, particularly the suspension.  Estimates from motoring groups put the current number of potholes on UK roads at around 1.5 million.  In early 2009, a report from the Asphalt Industry Alliance, the body which represents asphalt producers and contractor, said there was already a 13 year backlog of pothole repairs.  With the recent cold weather, it is likely this backlog has increased.

Being involved in an accident as a result of someone else’s negligence can be hard to swallow.  Here at Genesis Accident Claims we know that an accident caused by a badly maintained road surface could have very serious consequences for the people involved, both in terms of injuries and also damage to any vehicles that were involved.

Posted in Personal Injury, Road Traffic Accident, Slip Trip Accident | 4 Comments »

Compensation for postie after vicious dog attack

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

A female postal worker has received £70,000 personal injury compensation after having been scarred for life in a vicious dog attack.

The woman was attacked by a German Shepherd dog as she delivered post to a farm in February 2007.

In the attack, the woman feared her face was going to be bitten and in protecting herself the dog bit her hand, almost severing her ring finger. She has been left with permanent damage to the finger and finds it difficult to bend, which has affected her grip.

A CWU (Communication Workers’ Union) spokesperson said, “It’s clear that this dog was a menace and preventative action should have been taken prior to this horrific attack.

“Whilst welcoming this significant victory in relation to personal injury compensation, it does emphasise the importance of the ongoing CWU Biteback campaign which continues to fight for tougher laws to protect postal and other workers and members of the public from dangerous dogs.

Commenting on the out-of-court personal injury compensation settlement the woman’s claim solicitor, said “A tightening of the rules governing animal ownership would be welcomed and highly appropriate given the number of injuries sustained each year,”

Posted in Personal Injury | 16 Comments »

Accident claim rise in Swindon

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

It has been revealed that since speed cameras have been removed from Swindon’s roads, accident claims have soared.

Road accidents in the area have continued to increase despite the number of speeders halving.

Swindon Council leaders have therefore supported their decision that removing the devices was the correct thing to do.

However road safety groups and opposition politicians have warned that it is far too early to claim Swindon’s roads are now safer.

According to figures released by Swindon Council there were six injuries on Swindon’s roads between August and October of this year. Two of these were serious personal injuries, while four were slight. Over the same period in 2008 there were four slight injury accidents and one fatal.

Council leader Rod Bluh said: “These figures vindicate our position that money being spent on speed cameras could be better used in other areas.

“We know that we have a problem with the number of accidents on our roads rising and that is why we want to tackle the problem by using that money in the most effective way. Our actions have also led to a change in Conservative national policy on this issue.”

Andrew Howard, head of road safety at the AA, said the council needs to be cautious: “The accident rate is improving everywhere. The death toll on the roads is coming down. I would be very loath to read anything into these figures. Casualty figures can bounce up and down.”

Posted in Personal Injury, Road Traffic Accident | 4 Comments »