Personal Injury Claims Bristol Blog

A talented chef, who was serving in the British army, sustained injuries that were so severe he can no longer work within his trade.  Hopewell Marindire, from Kettering, had been posted to Sennerlager training camp in Germany where he had been working in below freezing temperatures.  He developed a condition known as ‘non freezing cold injury’ which caused him numbness, permanent intolerance to cold temperatures, damage to tissues and in considerable pain.  The chef, who was originally from Zimbabwe, had been working in conditions as low as 14 degrees Celsius wearing nothing more than standard issue cotton socks and leather boots on his feet.  This was despite the fact that it is well know within the military that soldiers of African origin are more susceptible to injuries caused by cold weather.

A claimant has won £5,000 in compensation after sustaining burns to her arms and legs after receiving hair removal laser treatment.  The woman had gone to a beauty salon to have several areas of her body lasered, including her lower legs and arms, which left her with visible burn marks upon completion of the treatment.  It was subsequently discovered that the beautician carrying out the treatment had turned the power of the laser too high, resulting in the burns.

Manufacturer, Whirlpool UK Appliances Ltd, have been ordered to supply information regarding any known problems with a tumble dryer which ignited in a flat in Llanrwst killing two people.  39-year-old Doug McTavish and 19-year-old Bernard Hender lost their lives when the dryer caught fire in the early hours of the morning of 1 October 2014.  Attending a pre-inquest review in Ruthin on Monday was Garry Lloyd Jones who was the sole survivor of the fire.  Mr Lloyd Jones, a funeral director from the Conwy Valley, was Mr Hender’s partner and Mr McTavish’s business partner.  The hearing was also attended by representatives of Whirlpool.

Since it was closed in September of last year, patients of Bootham Park adult mental health unit in York have been travelling 50 miles to Roseberry Park in Middlesbrough to receive medical care.  The unit was closed very suddenly in September following an unannounced visit by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) when it was found that patients were at “significant risk of harm”.  The unit was given five days to close its doors, and since hundreds of vulnerable patients have been left with no assurances about their future care.  Bootham Park was York’s only psychiatric hospital.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has asked a senior NHS expert to look into concerns raised following the diagnosis of lung disease in ex-mineworkers.  The concerns were raised when the Union of Democratic Mineworkers paid for 2 redundant ex-miners to have CT scans of their lungs privately.  It was discovered that both miners from Nottinghamshire were suffering from pneumoconiosis despite previous X-rays in 2013 coming back marked as “satisfactory”.  The union is now calling for all former miners to get CT scans following the results of Ray Nunn and Crawford Hunter, both aged 51.

For over 150 years, district nurses have been supporting people in their own homes, keeping them out of hospital.  Official figures are showing, however, that the number of district nurses has fallen by 40% in the past 10 years.  The Health and Social Care Information Centre has reported that where a decade ago there were around 13000 district nurses working for the NHS in England, there are now fewer than 7500, many of whom are close to retirement age.  At the same time, the pressure on hospital accident and emergency departments is increasing, with attendances rising by approximately 50% in the past 10 years.  Nursing leaders are describing NHS community nursing in England as “lamentable”.

An NHS trust has been fined after it was discovered that basic errors caused the deaths of four patients. The trust that previously ran Stafford Hospital, Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, admitted four charges relating to the deaths of elderly people between 2005 and 2014.  Where the trust was originally fined £500,000 for the “blunders”, the Department of Health has agreed to cover the fine, and additional £35,000 in costs, seeing as the trust is now defunct and has no funds.

A blind man who was accidently tasered when his white walking stick was mistaken for a sword has accepted an out-of-court settlement with Lancashire Police. The man, who remains anonymous by a court order, was involved in the incident in October 2012, and is still greatly affected by the memory of it.

A mother is suing an Italian waterpark after breaking her back on a waterslide while on holiday to grieve her dead son. 45-year-old Karen Mitchener went on holiday with her family to Italy after losing her son five years ago in a car accident aged 18. During their time in east Italy they visited the Acquaparco Verde Azzurro water park in Marche, but the day ended when Ms Mitchener broke her back on one of the slides.

Following a Freedom of Information request, it has been revealed that Cambridgeshire Police has paid out over £20,000 in compensation to staff in a five-year period. Claims ranged from dog bites to injuries caused by a collapsing desk, with a total of 16 claims made since 2010, (of which seven were successful). The force was unable to specify which seven claims were successful because of the Data Protection Act.

A 62-year-old woman from Tunbridge Wells has been granted compensation after suffering life-changing injuries in a cycling accident. Fenella Sinclair had been cycling in her local area when a 4x4 passed her on a country lane, grazing the rear wheel of her bicycle. Mrs Sinclair was left with severe brain damage, several skull fractures and damage to her spine and ribs. Four years after the accident, she remains in a minimally conscious state.

A Leicester school pupil has been awarded £250,000 in compensation for his/her serious injury. The case was brought forward following a Freedom of Information request, yet Leicester City Council has refused to provide any information on the case, including who the child was, what school it happened at, and the extent of the injury. The authority said that providing any information whatsoever could damage the anonymity of the child.