Serious accidents which usually result in a substantial RTA claim will often leave psychological trauma which can result in heightened anxiety, panic attacks, depression, mood swings as well as many other conditions. Such symptoms are notoriously difficult to treat and often medication is prescribed to suppress rather than cure such complaints. The latest medical technique which attempts to treat the mental distress caused by such a severe accident is cognitive behavioural therapy.

Cognitive behavioural therapy aims to help individuals who are making an RTA claim as a result of a serious accident, manage their problems by changing the way they think or act.

The principle behind cognitive behavioural therapy is that it is not the accident itself which leads to the mental anxiety and depression, rather the circumstances which surround such an incident. To use a relevant example, a young man has suffered a serious car accident and as is pursuing an RTA claim:

The man suffers significant physical injury as a result of the accident which damages his back. At this stage there is no psychological injury. However, in time the man develops depression; this is not as a direct result of the accident but due to the circumstances the physical injuries have brought about. Due to the man’s injuries he has a prolonged period off work. This leads him to feel isolated and unfulfilled. Due to a loss of earnings his wife then has to take a second job to maintain the level of income required to meet the couple’s expenses. This leads to further feelings of inadequacy on behalf of the man which creates a negative emotion of sadness. This will further deepen the depression.

Cognitive behavioural therapy focuses on the problems and difficulties of the present, ignoring issues from the past. In doing so it looks for practical ways to improve an individual’s state of mind on a daily basis.

If you have suffered a serious car accident then contact the dedicated team of RTA claim solicitors at http://www.rtacompensation.org

Manual Handling
Manual handling is responsible for up to a third of all the workplace accident claims made in the UK. The majority of instances occur as a result of a lack of proper training or individuals not asking for help when lifting heavy objects. Injuries include musculoskeletal disorders to backs, strains to hands, arms, feet and tendons.

Slips and Trips
Almost a third of the workplace accidents which occur in the UK are due to slips and trips, so if you can reduce their frequency then that’s an excellent start. In a vast number of these instances an accident is a result of a wet surface or objects left on the floor often as a result of poor housekeeping procedures. A trip or fall may seem minor but serious and persistent injuries can be incurred as a result.

Workplace Traffic Accidents
Busy workplaces where heavy machinery is used can be especially treacherous and workplace accident claims resulting from any incident can be major. Such accidents are not only confined to warehouses and depots but any location where motorised vehicles are in use. Common accidents include being struck by a moving vehicle, being hit by materials falling from a moving vehicle or if a vehicle crashes or overturns.

Electrical Accidents
Lastly, all too common are electrical accidents which are extremely serious and can result in the loss of life. Electricians are not the only workers at risk of suffering an electric shock as a result of their employment, all workers who use electrical equipment are at risk.

If you have suffered an accident at work then contact Howells Solicitors and we will tell you whether you have grounds to make a workplace accident claim. More information is available here: http://www.yourworkplaceaccident.co.uk. Our friendly team of specialist solicitors work quickly and professionally to ensure successful and high value workplace accident claims.

Two of the most common indicators that you have a whiplash injury, which may give rise to whiplash claims, are neck pain, shoulder pain and headaches. There are various methods which can be used to treat whiplash depending on the severity of the injury. Prescriptive medicine and mobility exercises are sufficient in most cases, although surgery may be required for the most extreme cases.

The physical symptoms giving rise to whiplash claims include:

Neck pain and stiffness – this symptom will be present in 100% of cases, with pain extending up to the head and down through the shoulders. Muscle spasms are also likely to occur.

Lower back pain – this is especially common in the lumbar sections of the back.

Numbness – the vertebrae of the neck can be pulled closer together by muscular tension. This can lead to disc degeneration or pinched nerves, causing numbness or tingling in the arms and hands.

Headaches – these will occur in 80% of whiplash claims cases.

Vertigo – unusual head movement and an unbalanced head position can cause distorted sensations from the balance centres of the inner ear and brain.

Interscapular pain – pain occurring between the shoulder blades which may extend down the arms.

As well as these complaints you may experience auditory problems – a ringing in the ears and tinnitus; visual complaints – distorted or blurry vision and dyshagia – the inability to swallow.

If you experience any of these symptoms then your first course of action should be to seek immediate medical attention. You should then contact a solicitor who will work quickly and professionally to secure your whiplash claims compensation. Expert help can be found at Howells Whiplash Claims

36% of workplace injuries are categorised as slips, trips and falls, so businesses are being called to put safety measures in place to guard against them and educate employees on ways to avoid them.

Nearly 5 million sick days were taken in the UK over the past 12 months due to accidents at work. Not only is the money paid for injury compensation claims a significant cost to businesses, but so is the reduced productivity in the lost man hours.

Figures from Scottish Compensation show that in Scotland each year, nearly 3000 workers are killed and 10000 are injured in work-related accidents.

Slips, trip and falls commonly take place at construction sites, often due to tools and machinery left lying around. The report also showed that many workplace accidents also happen in offices, meaning all businesses need to be aware of the risks and implications of not providing a safe working environment.

The former NHS employee, who retired in 1996 and whose work was mainly office-based, filed a compensation claim through the NHS Injury Benefit Scheme, which provides compensation to staff who have suffered injury or disability as a result of their work.

The Department of Health has now ordered the Sandwell and West Birmingham Trust to make the payment. The trust had previously been fighting the compensation, disputing that they were not responsible for paying the large sum.

A director for the trust expressed that the payout does not relate to physical personal injury or a workplace accident.

South Wales Police dog handler Mark Pugh, 50, became severely depressed and suicidal after he was attacked by a mob of fans at the trouble-hit FA Cup tie between Cardiff City and Leeds United in 2002.

Mr Pugh has already won his claim for a disability pension, but has been denied a lump-sum compensation claim because although he has been categorised as 100% disabled, the South Wales Police Authority believe that he is not unable to work at all.

“Applications for these payments are very rare because only officers who have suffered 100% disability which is permanent are entitled to them,” explained a spokesperson for the authority.

Nigel Daniel, Mr Pugh’s solicitor, said his client has been treated “appallingly” and believes that the authority has made an “incorrect decision.”

Mr Pugh was in the news recently when it was revealed that South Wales Police spent over £100,000 on Operation Thames, a surveillance operation where almost a dozen officers from South Wales Police and the neighbouring Dyfed-Powys force were used to spy on him for months. This was an attempt by the authority to see if he was faking his disability and therefore deny him of his disability pension.

Three-year-old Ryan Pitcher, who was being treated for epilepsy, died after being given the wrong medication by Dr Andrew Holton. An initial investigation could not find a link between the actions of the doctor and Ryan’s death. However his parents pursued a lengthy legal battle and after later investigations, University of Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust admitted liability for its medical negligence.

The report also found that Dr Holton misdiagnosed hundreds of other children during a period of ten years at the hospital.

Simon and Diane Pitcher from Heather, near Coalville, Leicestershire, have now received an compensation, the amount of which has not been disclosed. It is believed that around £3m has been paid by the trust to children incorrectly diagnosed by Dr Holton.

“On the basis of expert evidence, the trust accepts that Ryan’s treatment and medication were incorrect,” a hospital spokesperson said.

“The trust is deeply sorry for what has happened and has made an unreserved apology to Ryan’s parents.”

Judith Tomlinson, 58, from Baginton near Coventry, has mesothelioma, a fatal asbestos-related cancer. She strongly believes that her father’s work overalls and company van could be responsible for how she contracted the disease.

Roland Adcock, Mrs Tomlinson’s father, was a foreman at construction firm Mason McCabe, based in Acocks Green, Birmingham, from 1958 to 1982. It is believed that he was exposed to asbestos when he worked on a contract in Castle Bromwich.

Despite the evidence, Mrs Tomlinson has been denied compensation because the company her father worked for has since closed down.

The current law allows workers suffering from industrial illnesses and injuries to claim compensation from their employers. If their firm has shut down, suffering workers can still file a claim against the firm’s insurers. However family and loved ones who have also been affected can only currently claim from a current firm.

Mrs Tomlinson’s solicitors have expressed that they are continuing to seek compensation for their client.

“We will continue to fight for compensation for Judith but at the present time the law is different for secondary victims – namely people who were not employees of the company using asbestos,” explained Alida Coates at Irwin Mitchell solicitors.

The NHS’s Litigation Authority shows that maternity services are those most targeted for compensation claims. Poor maternity care in London is costing the NHS £27m a year alone, which amounts to a third of the bill for all compensation claims in the capital.

Claims include a five-day-old baby who died after a number of mistakes at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. The fact that the baby was upside-down in the womb went unnoticed and staff continued to use the wrong forceps for the procedure. Although the baby was put on a life-support machine, she died shortly after. Her parents, Katherine and Ben Harman, from Battersea, were awarded £50,000 in compensation, but regret that their daughter “could still be alive” if it weren’t for the errors made by the hospital.

Another payment of £600,000 was made to the widow of Jessica Palmer, 34, who died shortly after giving birth at Kingston Hospital in 2002. The hospital admitted liability for her death after admitting they had failed to notice that she was suffering from blood poisoning.

In the case of higher payouts, for example botched births leaving infants disabled, a more structured payout is awarded, compensating them for the care that they will need to receive through their lives.

Official records show that across the NHS, 3,645 patients died of infections contracted whilst in hospital, mistakes whilst undergoing surgery and other medical errors in 2007/2008. This figure was up 60% from two years previously, but it has been reported that figures could be even higher. However, when it comes to compensation for these mistakes, it seems that claimants may be missing out. Figures show that £143m, nearly a fifth of the overall figure paid out, went to lawyers rather than to the victims’ families. It has been claimed that some “no win – no fee” companies are touting for business in A&E waiting rooms across the country.

The Conservative Health spokesman, Mark Simmonds, stated that “we need a robust and fair way for patients who have received negligent treatment in an NHS hospital to get the treatment they deserve. Instead, we have an inefficient system which incurs vast legal costs for NHS trusts.”

Miss Dean, who is currently studying law at university, was awarded the compensation when she took her case to a UK employment tribunal, who have sited wrongful dismissal by the company. She was born without a left forearm and told those in the court that “I never let my disability get in the way of living a fulfilled life. I do not want special treatment.”

The student has stated that she made the disability known to her employers after accepting the role and was told she would be able to wear a cardigan on the shop floor. However she was later informed that the cardigan breached the “looks policy” of the store and she was instead assigned to the stockroom until the store’s winter uniform arrived.

The company have released a statement saying that the tribunals findings were based “on the events of a single day” and that these “were not at all representative of Dean’s overall employment with A&F.”

In 2004, A&F spent nearly $50 million to settle claims for discrimination in the US.

Broken down, Miss Dean was awarded £7,800 compensation for injury to her feelings, £1,077 in lost earnings and £138 for wrongful dismissal.