Pages

Monday, 18 June 2012

Preserving the essence of personal injury

The personal injury claims industry has come under extreme criticism in recent years, with the Prime Minister calling for significant change to the way lower value claims are processed. In particular, whiplash claims have been blamed for the widespread increase in vehicle insurance premiums.

The term ‘no win no fee’ has developed fairly negative connotations both inside and outside the legal profession. However, it’s important to note that the ethics behind such legal services are all about improving access to justice. If ‘no win no fee’ was taken away, the only people able to access the justice system would be people who can afford to fund litigation, or those with the appropriate legal insurance cover.

At the less reputable end of the legal industry, the tactics used to entice consumers to bring a claim, and the prevalence of in-your-face TV advertising, have contributed to the growing criticism of ‘no win no fee’ practitioners. It has also become more difficult for consumers to identify qualified practitioners that are genuinely on their side in seeking fair compensation for an injustice – nothing more and nothing less.

Read More - http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/31/preserving-the-essence-of-personal-injury/

Monday, 14 May 2012

Thousands of state workers hurt on the job every year

Sgt. Brian Simpson slipped and fell while trying to stop a prison inmate’s assault on a fellow corrections officer last year, fracturing a bone in his knee when he landed hard.

A patient attacked Oregon State Hospital therapist Brant Johnson, raking him with a sharp thumbnail and leaving a deep scratch down his face and chest that became badly infected.

A jack slipped and a trailer fell on Department of Transportation responder Leland Erickson in 2003, breaking his sternum as he helped change a tire along a busy highway.

It’s easy for the public to think of state workers as pencil-pushing bureaucrats, but thousands are injured every year while performing high-risk jobs full of physical labor or potential confrontation.

Read More - http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20120513/STATE/305130039/Thousands-state-workers-hurt-job-every-year?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews