Bad Weather Leads To Rise In Accidents
Britain experienced some of the most extreme conditions for years earlier this year and this had a knock on effect in the hospitals of the badly affected areas, who are reporting an increase in slip and trip related injuries. While people have been sensible in avoiding taking the car on the roads, pounding the streets on foot has proved to be almost as dangerous.
In Southern Scotland and areas of the Midlands the staff in A&E depts. have reported a high number of fracture patients relating to slips or falls in the snow and ice, with one Reading hospital reporting a 36% increase in admissions during the worst 24 hour period, forcing them to open extra theatre space to cope with the procedures which needed carrying out.
Pavements which hadn’t been gritted were responsible for a lot of the injuries and a number of those affected are annoyed with their council’s lack of preparation for the conditions, with some suggesting they will attempt to take legal action. If you’re one of these people, then you may not have as clear cut case as you thought, as you need to prove that the council were neglectful and did not act appropriately.
A leading personal injury solicitor at Oliver and Co explains that ‘you have to be able to show the council acted unreasonably in failing to grit the pavement’, which is a difficult point to establish. However should you have fallen in a car park or private land then making a successful claim may be more likely.
Unlike public highways, private areas such as a supermarket car park may be liable under the Occupiers Liability Act 1957, which means they are under a different duty with more focus on making sure areas are “reasonable in all circumstances”, including making sure it is safe for all visitors.
At the moment the weather has certainly picked up, but should we see the adverse weather again we recommend wearing sensible shoes, avoiding unnecessary journeys and if you must go out trying to find a well gritted route and taking it slow.
Want to find out more about compensation services, then visit the What’s My Claim Worth site and see if you may be entitled to make ano win no fee compensation claim.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment