Ice - a danger, but is it a hazard that can lead to a successful claim?

Slipping on Ice - can you claim Personal Injury Compensation?

By recent standards, this current winter has been a cold one! For the first time in ages, we have had frozen lakes, frozen canals and frozen rivers. On many a cold morning - and even through the day on a colder day - the good folk of this land (including me!) have spent time scraping the ice from our windscreens before driving to work and the walking carefully from our cars to our offices to ensure that we don't slip and hurt ourselves. At this time of year, we get many calls from clients who have fallen on icy paths and steps, and sustained nasty injuries - usually fractures to wrists and arms. The one thing that all of these callers have in common is that they have slipped on ice, sustained nasty injuries and received medical treatment. But does that mean they have a claim?

Unlikely to be successful

Unfortunately, in the vast majority of these cases, we are unable to assist the caller and have to reject the matter. It falls down to a duty of care and the strength of liability against the people or authority responsible for the area in which the individual fell. For example, should someone slip and fall on a public footpath due to ice, it is highly unlikely that they would be able to prove sufficient liability against the local authority highways department responsible for the path to enable them to win any claim for Personal Injury compensation. Clearly, such authorities are obliged to grit/salt the roads etc in their areas, but they must prioritise the order in which they grit the roads and footpaths in their areas. It goes without saying that the main responsibility is to ensure that major roads are gritted - starting with motorways and A class roads, then moving on to heavy use B roads then if there is still time and the main roads are still safe, the c roads and unclassified roads and eventually the footpaths and pavements. As you might guess, the footpaths and pavements rarely get treated and it is easy to see why. So in a nutshell, if you are walking on icy paths, take care - you are unlikely to be able to claim compensation for any injuries sustained.

Exceptions

The duty of care on other parties when it comes to ice, can be far easier to claim against. For example, work yards where an employer expects staff to operate must be treated within a reasonable time of the ice appearing. Car parks and entrance ways at places of work or schools should also be treated - or signage situated to warn of the hazards. Steps and platforms at bus and train stations are also subject to higher duties of care. If you fall in any of these places on ice (or any other public location for that matter) ensure that your accident is recorded in the accident book, seek medical attention and then call us! It is likely that we will be able to take such a claim forward for you.

Making your claim

To make your claim, come to us. Direct 2 Solicitors are approved for Regulated Claims Management Services by the Ministry of Justice (Authorisation CRM 3364), check the regulators web site www.claimsregulation.gov.uk and are also members of the Claims Standards Council. We offer genuine peace of mind, honesty and a friendly caring service.

If you are in need of a reliable and approved Claims Management Company to manage your accident compensation claim, look no further. Email us at webenquiries@direct2solicitorsltd.co.uk, call us on 0800 9177456, or get us to call you, using the big blue "Call me back" box at the top right of this page.

Fast, efficient and genuine No Win No Fee claims

Direct 2 Solicitors offers a Personal Injury Compensation service that is second to none - and you don't just have to take our word for it. Over the years, we have helped thousands of individual clients achieve Personal Injury Compensation Settlements in their favour. It is always pleasing to hear the good news of a claim settling in favour of one of our clients and it is a real pleasure when one of those successful clients writes to us to thank us for our efforts. Indeed, one such lady from Dorchester recently wrote to me to thank me for the cheque she had just received for the sum of £17,500! To her, this was a life changing sum of money.

Speedy Service

Direct 2 Solicitors claims service is quick, hassle free and decisions are made without delay. we don't bog clients down with ream after ream of paper and don't leave them to do the leg work. In the vast majority of cases, we can handle the claim over the phone and simply need a brief 15 minute telephone interview to get the basic information we need to present our expert Panel Solicitors with an industry leading file in order that they can launch the claim immediately and get things moving. After the brief telephone interview, we send out 3 simple items of paperwork for the signature and return of the client along with our FREEPOST reply-paid envelope. Upon receipt of the signed instructions, we complete our file and submit this to our Panel members on the same day. This means that those client's who reply to our paperwork immediately, can have their claim placed and up and running with a member of our Solicitor panel within 3 days of their contacting us. Individuals have 3 years in which to make their claim, but why delay when the sooner the claim is brought the better?

Service Levels

Our Panel members work in the same way as we do, utilising electronic technologies to ensure that claim files are viewed same day and decisions made immediately. Clients often comment very positively regarding the speed of service that they receive from both us, and the Panel Solicitor that takes their claim forward for litigation and hopeful settlement. We very much see our job as to support clients when they need it most and to ensure that every action we take is in their best interests and that we do not cause any delays or problems in the processing of their claims. We also ensure that any firm of Solicitors wishing to join our panel operate in the same way and adhere to the same strict principles.

Leading the way

When you look at the clear and transparent system we operate for our No Win No Fee claims and combine that with our friendly and ethical approach, speedy service and great partner Solicitor Panel members, it is clear to see why Direct 2 Solicitors is a growing business - we are leading the way! Our reputation is all important to us and the only way to get a good one is to earn one. Choose us to manage your claim and we will not disappoint.

Making your claim

To make your claim, come to us. Direct 2 Solicitors are approved for Regulated Claims Management Services by the Ministry of Justice (Authorisation CRM 3364), check the regulators web site www.claimsregulation.gov.uk and are also members of the Claims Standards Council. We offer genuine peace of mind, honesty and a friendly caring service.

If you are in need of a reliable and approved Claims Management Company to manage your accident compensation claim, look no further. Email us at webenquiries@direct2solicitorsltd.co.uk, call us on 0800 9177456, or get us to call you, using the big blue "Call me back" box at the top right of this page.

Limitation - make your claim in time!

Claim Limitation

It is well known by the majority of citizens that English and Welsh law provides a period of 3 years in which an individual can bring a claim for Personal Injury Compensation before the courts. This time limit is called 'limitation'. The exceptions to this rule are for those who are under the age of 18 years at the time that they sustain their injuries, as they are given up and until a 21st Birthday in which to register their claims. However, some people don't seem to know about the limitation period!

Whilst the 3-year period is there, in usual circumstances, claims companies and Solicitors require a good 6 month period of the limitation to remain in order that full investigations can be completed and correspondence can be entered in to with the alleged liable party. Many people don't know about the need to allow sufficient time for a Solicitor or Claims Company to run their claim and often find that they have ruled themselves out of a claim by missing the 3-year deadline or contacting us with only a month or less to go. They usually find themselves statute barred and unable to claim.

There are other very rare exceptions to the 3-year rule that may enable an individual to overturn the limitation limit. This would normally apply to individuals who were so seriously injured that they could not manage their own affairs and no carer commenced a claim for them.

Beating the claim deadline

Direct 2 Solicitors never rule anything out and are happy to go the extra mile when we can to assist clients in making genuine claims. Indeed, only this week we have managed to move mountains to assist a client who contacted us with only 4 days of his 3-year period remaining. In normal circumstances, this would not provide sufficient time to enable us to help. However, the injuries sustained a very serious - the client could yet lose the leg that was injured. The gentleman in question was crushed by a car that had been pushed on to the footpath he was using after it had been hit with force by a Public Service Bus. The injures were such that the client was hospitalised and left in a bad way. The Police and other authorities investigated this incident and the Bus Driver was later prosecuted for his actions.

Expert specialist Personal Injury Solicitors

Fortunately for the people we serve such as the client mentioned earlier, Direct 2 Solicitors Ltd have links with an expert panel of Personal Injury Solicitors. Indeed, we have a blue-chip list of firms that are expert litigators and serve client's interests in the best possible manner.

With this in mind, having spoken with the client in question, we immediately contacted one of our specialist Solicitors to discuss this issue. The value of the claim for the client was high and all parties wanted to help. Followng the advice from our Solicitor, we decided to take the unusual step of registering the claim in the courts before contact was made with the 3rd party bus company. Clearly, we had to make speedy investigations beforehand to ensure that we knew the identity of the parties involved to ensure that we were not wasting our or the client's time. Once done, we paid the fee and decided that this claim was worth risking our time, money and effort upon.

Taking risks and helping clients

We are happy to take such risks and put our money on the line to help such clients. Sure, if we win this no-win, no-fee claim for our client, we will get our money back plus fees, but that is not the point. We are a business with a keen ethical stance that ensures that we push the boat out to help individuals who are not always in a position to help themselves.

Making your claim

To make your claim, come to us. Direct 2 Solicitors are approved for Regulated Claims Management Services by the Ministry of Justice (Authorisation CRM 3364), check the regulators web site www.claimsregulation.gov.uk and are also members of the Claims Standards Council. We offer genuine peace of mind, honesty and a friendly caring service.

If you are in need of a reliable and approved Claims Management Company to manage your accident compensation claim, look no further. Email us at webenquiries@direct2solicitorsltd.co.uk, call us on 0800 9177456, or get us to call you, using the big blue "Call me back" box at the top right of this page.