If you have a suffered an injury or illness due to the negligent treatment that you have received whilst in hospital then you may be able to claim compensation.

For a free consultation call 0800 849 2220 today to speak with a member of our team. You may also wish to use our calculate My Claim’ feature on the right side of this page to see what your claim may be worth.

It has been reported that between 300,000 and 400,000 women in many different countries have had breast implants made with sub-standard silicone gel by the company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP). The health concerns that arise because of the sub-standard silicone have led to a world wide scare and women have been advised to consult their doctors over the implants.

It is reported that the founder of the manufacturer freely admits using unapproved silicon gel, but remains adamant it is safe. According to reports the materials used in the faulty implants are linked with the oil and rubber industries, which are thought to cause a high rupture rate. It has also been suggested that the silicone used for the breast implants was made for mattresses. However the company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) has strongly denied the report, and insists it is a food product used in lipstick.
It is important to note that whatever products were used for the silicone implants they were never tested or approved for clinical use. The reasoning behind why this has happened has not yet been confirmed but it is alleged that the company improvised its own ingredients when it faced financial difficulties.
If you have Poly Implant Prothese breast implants it would be beneficial to seek advice from a specialist solicitor. Call 0800 849 2220 or contact us direct at info@whatsmyclaimworth.co.uk to discuss the facts of your particular case with a member of our friendly and experienced team. It is important to point out that we are happy to act on a ‘no win, no fee basis,’ which means you will keep 100% of your compensation and you will not have to pay for our services.

Karting is a popular activity which is enjoyed by both young and old. However it does have its risks and unfortunatley accidents do happen.

You may have suffered a minor or a very serious injury. Injuries that you may have suffered with are numberous, they include a fracture, a discolation, bruising or concussion. You should be compensated for the pain and inconvenience that you have suffered with due to the accident. We also take into account any loss of earnings, any medical expenses and any specific losses such as damaged clothing.

Currently a 64 year old woman who worked as a teacher is pursuing a compensation claim of up to £1 million as she was injured by a go-kart. At the time of incident she was on a school trip at the go-karting centre. It is reported that the teacher had gone to the side of the track to watch the pupils, when a go-kart came off the track and collided with her. This caused her to suffer with numerous injuries including a mild brain injury and damage to her foot which has left her with a scar as well as a limp. She is now seeking compensation from the go-kart company because she is no longer able to work as a teacher. However it is thought that the company are arguing that the accident occurred due to the fault of the pupil and they state he was warned about his dangerous driving. The case is due to be heard later this year.

If you’ve been injured whilst at a go-kart centre and it wasn’t your fault, our team of specialist solicitors will be happy to speak with you to discuss your claim.
You can also try our ‘Calculate My Claim’ feature on the right side of this page to see what your claim may be worth.
Call  0800 849 2220 now to speak to one of our team.

Livestock are usually large and unpredictable animals which can sometimes cause serious injuries. All owners of animals have a legal duty to protect their animals and to protect the public from them too.

Accidents involving livestock can occur in various circumstances. You might have been involved in a road accident which was caused by an ‘animal in the carriageway’. These types of accidents can cause serious consequences and you should be compensated if the accident was not your fault.

Another way in which accidents may occur is when people are using public footpaths where livestock are kept. Those that use public footpaths should make sure they stick to the footpath and not approach any livestock. However the farmer has a responsibility to the public too. If you have been injured by an animal whilst using a public footpath then you should report it to the police, and seek medical attention for any injuries.
If you think this may apply to you or someone you know try our ‘Calculate my claim’ feature on the right side of this page to see what your claim may be worth.
In order to find out more information and find out if you can claim compensation then call 0800 849 2220 with no obligation to go ahead.

The bites were extremely itchy and caused them to suffer with flu like symptoms they also had trouble sleeping for 4 months.
Our expert team pursued a personal injury claim against the hotel and successfully recovered £1,600 compensation for each of them. If you have been unfortunate enough to have suffered a similar injury then please do not hesitate to contact one of our specialist personal injury solicitors at what’s my claim worth on 0800 849 2220 will be happy to advise you further.

November 20^th 2011 saw World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims.

Statistics show that 1.3 million people worldwide died road-related deaths this year and that a third of total road traffic accidents in the UK are work related.  Given this figure, it is worth noting the duty on employers in relation to employees who are expected to drive. Richard Jones, the head of policy and public affairs at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, suggests that driver competence should be assessed, as well as flexible training and travel times. He also notes that the main causes of road accidents are time pressure, tiredness and most obviously, distraction.

Road traffic accidents are one of the most frequently occurring personal injury cases. Surprisingly only half of the injuries sustained from such events are pursued as claims. Considering that 208, 648 injuries were the result of road accidents in the past 12 months, there is the potential for many more victims to bring personal injury claims for their damage and suffering.

If you think this may apply to you or someone you know, try our ‘Calculate my claim’ feature on the right side of this page to see what your claim may be worth.

Call 0800 849 2220 to speak to a member of our specialist team of personal injury lawyers who will assist you further with this matter.

It is expected that the policy will save the Government millions of pounds but it could affect up to 5 million motorists.

The new policy could mean that victims of unprovoked violent crimes could lose out on thousands of pounds of compensation. Rape victims and families of murder victims could see their compensation reduced from the standard award of £11,000 by £1,650. In an extreme example, an assault victim suffering a severe brain injury could lose £37,500 from their compensation merely if they have been given a £100 speeding fine within the past 2 years.

Critics have slammed the new proposals and the Shadow Justice Secretary Dominic Grieve has said “The idea that a rape victim or the parents of a murdered child should have their compensation docked for a speeding conviction years earlier is a revolting proposition.” The Conservatives believe the Government is attempting to save £25m in public spending however the Ministry of Justice have not commented on how much money the Government will save as a result of the new rules.

Criminal Injuries Compensation can already be reduced where “the applicant’s character as shown by his criminal convictions makes it inappropriate that a full award should be made” but this rule never included minor offences where the person was fined less than £250 or who was fined more than 2 years prior to the claim.

A spokesperson has insisted that a full consultation has been carried out to ensure that the new rules are fair and consistent. There is a suggestion that if you’ve committed a driving offence then you have cost the justice system money and this should be reflected if you receive compensation later on.

However, the counter argument is that if you have paid a fine, then you have already paid money into the justice system as a result of the minor offence. There is also surely a question mark over whether this policy goes against the double jeopardy rules of justice?

 If you have been a victim of an unprovoked violent attack, you may be eligible to make a claim for criminal injuries compensation.   If you would like further information on making a claim for compensation, please complete our enquiry form and one of our specialist solicitors will contact you.  Alternatively please call us on 0800 849 2220

 If you receive compensation following a Personal Injury claim, this may affect your entitlement to receive means-tested benefits.

If you have “capital” i.e. any money in bank accounts, savings or investments (but also including your compensation) of more than £6,000, this will reduce the amount of means-tested benefits you will be entitled to receive.

If your compensation and other capital taken together exceeds £16,000, your right to receive means-tested benefits is likely to stop completely.

This means that if you receive a compensation payout as a result of your claim, you may no longer be entitled to receive means-tested benefits. The benefits affected are any means-tested benefits you might receive, not just those paid to you as a consequence of your accident or injuries.

Benefits affected would include Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, some elements of Employment Support Allowance, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and even your entitlement to receive Tax Credits.

Non-means tested benefits such as Disability Living Allowance would not be affected by receiving a compensation payment.

Protecting your entitlement to Benefits using a Compensation Protection Trust

If you receive means-tested benefits, being awarded a compensation payment could therefore cost you a considerable amount in lost benefits if you do not take steps to protect your position.

The law states that from the date you receive your first payment of any kind from any source relating to your injury, there will be a period of 52 weeks during which that compensation will be disregarded when calculating your entitlement to means-tested benefits.

However, if you receive more than one payment as part of your claim (or a payment from another source) then you will only be entitled to one 52 week “disregard period”. You will not receive another such period relating to the second or subsequent payments.

If you give away some or all of the money you receive in compensation, this may be treated by the benefits authorities as “deliberate deprivation”, i.e. you might be considered to be deliberately depriving yourself of the money you received in order to preserve your entitlement to benefits. In those circumstances, the money you gave away could be treated as yours and you could still potentially lose benefits.

You can protect yourself from losing benefits by entering into a Compensation Protection Trust.

If you place your compensation money into a Compensation Protection Trust, so long as the Trust follows the relevant rules, your compensation would not then be considered part of your capital and would not affect your entitlement to means-tested benefits.

If you place your compensation into a Compensation Protection Trust, you will lose some control over it as decisions about investment of the money and payment out to you will be made by the Trustees.

You cannot compel them to use the money in a particular way. The Trustees would not be able to make some types of payment, such as regular payments to you or regular payments of bills on your behalf, but they could pay for larger one-off purchases such as a car or a holiday. The Trustees need to be careful to ensure that they do not break the rules relating to these Trusts as, if they did so, that would once again affect your entitlement to means-tested benefits.

A Compensation Protection Trust does, therefore, mean that a Claimant relinquishes some control over their compensation. A Claimant may consider, however that this is something they are prepared to accept if it results in them retaining valuable means-tested benefits.

If you are making or contemplating a Personal Injury claim and you think that your compensation (together with any savings or investments you have) will be more than £6,000, and if you receive any means-tested benefits or think that you may do so in the future, you should discuss the implications with your solicitor and whether or not a Compensation Protection Trust would be suitable for you, in order to preserve your entitlement to means-tested benefits.

Please note that this article sets out the position as at 1st October 2010. This article is for guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. If you think you may be affected by the issues raised you should obtain formal legal advice.

 If you have been injured no fault of your own or sustained any injury as a result of an accident then please contact us on 0800 849 2220 for advice on making a claim for personal injury. Alternatively please complete our enquiry form and one of our Solicitors will call you back.

Midwifery services within the NHS are extremely stretched and more midwifes need to be recruited in order to protect the safety of patients and to ensure that mothers and babies are given sufficient care and attention during pregnancy and birth.

A Nursing Standard survey has shown that the amount of training places available for midwifes is actually dropping. The Independent has reported that 6 out of 10 strategic health authorities in England are cutting training places for 2011-12, compared to the previous year.

Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwifes, has described the reports as “extremely worrying and yet another blow for maternity services…”

Short staffed maternity wards cannot provide the care which Mothers deserve as they progress through their pregnancy and particularly as they give birth to their baby. For example, being short staffed can lead to Mothers not being checked often enough and potential distress of the baby during delivery not being picked up early enough. A failure to urgently deliver a baby who is in distress during delivery can have catastrophic consequences, such as brain damage or even death.

If you have received negligent care throughout your pregnancy or during the delivery of your baby, then you may have a claim for compensation.

Contact us

Please contact us for advice if you feel you have suffered any form of clinical negligence. Please note that there are strict time limits in place for making a claim for compensation, but our specialist clinical negligence solicitors will be able to advise you specifically on the facts of your own case.

Direct Dial Clinical Negligence Department: 0800 849 2220

Alternatively please complete our enquiry form and one of our Solicitors will call you back.

The report also found that many workers are injured during the course of their work. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimated that 246,000 workplace injuries should have been reported to them last year but many accidents are not reported or are not reported correctly.

Although the number of fatalities and recorded injuries at work is falling, health and safety at work is as a big an issue today as ever as employees are still facing dangerous hazards, diseases and illnesses at work which could in many cases could be avoided.

If you have been injured due to an accident at work or are suffering with an industrial related disease or illness then please contact our team of experienced Personal Injury Solicitors, we may be able to assist you in recovering compensation.

At Oliver & Co we have a dedicated and experienced team of lawyers who deal with workplace accident compensation claims, including head injuries, loss of limb, breaks and trips etc.  We also have a dedicated industrial disease team of specialist Solicitors who can assist with conditions such as mesothelioma, asbestos lungs cancer, noise induced hearing loss, and other occupational diseases.

 If you think you may be entitled to make a personal injury claim and you would like further advice, please contact one of our Specialist Solicitors in the Personal Injury Team at Whats my claim worth on 0800 849 2220 or complete our enquiry form now.