Personal injury claims arise for all sorts of reasons. Many are brought before the courts – or settled outside of them – following accidents in the workplace or on the road. Some involve serious, life-changing injuries, while others deal with temporary illness or harm. Though there are countless ways to cause physical harm, some injuries are undoubtedly more common than others.
Common Types of Claim
No stranger to personal injury claims Manchester is home to some of the country’s finest personal injury solicitors, many of whom are asked to represent clients involved in road-traffic accidents. Collisions between vehicles are still common in the UK, despite falling accident rates. According to the Department for Transport, 1,900 road users (including pedestrians) lost their lives on British roads last year. During this period, the total number of reported casualties of all severities reached 204,350.
Whiplash
Personal injury claims arising from road-traffic accidents often cite whiplash as the predominant injury. The extent to which whiplash is a problem in Great Britain has been made clear by organisations such as the Association of British Insurers (ABI). In 2011, ABI claimed that approximately 1,200 claims for whiplash compensation are made every day in the UK – six times the number of claims involving accidents in the workplace.
Accidents at Work
The Health and Safety Executive has worked hard to ensure that employers in the UK honour their obligations to protect the health and safety of workers. Unfortunately, accidents at work caused by the negligence of employers remains a common problem.
Accidents in the construction, agriculture and manufacturing industries are of particular concern, with slips, trips, falls from height and exposure to dangerous or defective machinery among the most common causes of death or serious injury. Asbestosis, mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer are currently the most deadly forms of occupational illness affecting people in the UK.
Clinical Negligence
Most medical professionals perform their duties to an extremely high standard, but sometimes mistakes are made that result in physical injury, illness or death. Clinical negligence claims are common in the UK, costing the NHS Litigation Authority billions of pounds every year. Health problems usually arise from misdiagnosis, inadequate treatment or surgical error.