Clients' best interests are usually better served by going direct to independent specialist qualified solicitors than to "claims management" intermediaries, who sell clients' cases on in return for "referral fees".

Injury compensation: Experienced solicitors with a track record of success in handling personal injury claims

Obtain a proper level of compensation for your injury or accident. The starting point is to talk things through at no cost with one of our experienced personal injury solicitors.   Whether you have suffered a physical or psychological injury with long term or short term effects, we have the skills and experience needed to recover the maximum compensation you are entitled to. Our team can offer the level of expertise that only comes with individual accreditation by the Law Society Personal Injury Panel.  Personal injuries, whatever the cause, can have a devastating effect on the lives of the victim and their family. The trauma of a serious debilitating injury should not be compounded by needless financial suffering. If you are less able to work as a result of an injury, then you should be recuperating with access to medical care and support. You should not have to return to work before you are fully recovered, even if you are not going to receive sick pay from your employer. Indeed, doing so can aggravate and prolong an injury. The financial compensation to which you are entitled will not give you back your health, but it will make it easier to get back on your feet and obtain the best possible treatment for your condition without loss of earnings. That is why we offer representation on a no win, no fee basis. We believe that justice should be available to all and that no one should be left out of pocket (win or lose) by pursuing a legitimate claim for damages. If your claim is successful, we will recover our costs from the other side. You will retain 100% of the compensation that we obtain on your behalf. In the unlikely event that it is unsuccessful, there will be no fee to pay.

WE HAVE DECADES OF SUCCESS FOR CLIENTS IN INJURY, ACCIDENT AND OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE CLAIMS

Talk things through at no cost... ...with somebody at partner level with decades of experience in advising and representing successfully victims of injuries, accidents and occupational & industrial disease conditions.

Stephen Burbidge burbidge@humphreys.co.uk Peter Montgomery montgomery@humphreys.co.uk

No surprises and no hidden costs with our qualified solicitors

OUR CLIENTS KEEP 100% OF THEIR DAMAGES WITH NO DEDUCTIONS

There are two types of compensation potentially available for your injury claim, known as special and general damages. General damages compensate you for the injury itself (for example, pain and suffering) and the amount is set by the court. Special damages compensate you for actual financial losses that you have incurred as a result of the injury up to the date of the court hearing. This would include damage to clothing and personal belongings, the costs of private medical care and the costs of repairing a car or hiring a replacement. Humphreys & Co. are not offering a mass-produced legal product. Clients often prefer our independent approach and our sensitive, personal case-handling is more likely to bring effective results..... There are different time limits that apply to claims for personal injury. It is important to get in touch with a solicitor as soon as possible so that you can stay on top of these. The most common personal injury claim is based on the law of negligence, the time limit for which is three years after the injury occurred. The courts may extend time limits when the circumstances of the case require it, so if it has been some time since your injury occurred, please get in touch and we can advise you as to your options.

Compensation can be claimed for injuries in many circumstances, including:   Accidents at work Whiplash injuries Slips, trips & falls Back injuries Industrial disease Road traffic accidents Fatal accidents Construction accidents Asbestos & mesothelioma Medical negligence

Personal injury law is complex, but by entrusting your case to us you can ensure that you obtain the optimum result in a reasonable period of time. We are fully independent professionals, only interested in obtaining the compensation that you deserve. By contrast, ‘claims management’ companies take on a high volume of cases (about which they may know very little) so that they can sell them on in return for ‘referral fees’. Go direct and contact Humphreys & Co. Solicitors for a no cost, no obligation initial assessment. This will get your claim off to the best possible start and we will continue to deliver a personalised service going forward.

Some recent personal injury cases......

ANDREW HOWE v (1) WAYNE HOULTON (2) MARSHALL BARRY LTD (3) NORWICH UNION INSURANCE LTD [2009] EWHC 3344 (QB) The Claimant had been standing by his open car door, reaching in to retrieve his mobile phone, when he was hit by an articulated lorry, causing severe injuries. He remained unconscious for two months and had both legs amputated. The Defendant had argued that the Claimant had only opened his car door in the seconds before the collision, making it unavoidable. He also argued that oncoming traffic meant that he was forced into the path of the Claimant. There were several witnesses suggesting the contrary, and both of these claims were rejected. A further argument raised was that the Claimant was at least partly to blame because his car had been illegally parked at the time, adjacent to a pelican crossing. The Court rejected this. The car was just as obvious to a reasonable driver in its illegal position as it would have been parked legally a few metres away.  The Court found that the main issue regarding fault was whether the Claimant should have seen the oncoming lorry and taken steps to avoid it. It was further found that when he checked behind before reaching in for the mobile phone, he could not have anticipated that the lorry would shortly collide with him and the car door. The accident was therefore entirely due to the negligence of the Defendant.

LAURA MAY (A Child by her Litigation Friend CHRISTINE MAY) v LANCASHIRE TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUST [2009] EWHC 31 (QB) The Claimant had suffered from curvature of the spine when she was 11, due to scoliosis. She underwent surgery to correct this. The operation involved the use of screws, hooks and rods to improve the angle of her spine. Sadly, as a result of the operation, the Claimant became paraplegic. The Defendant argued that the paraplegia was caused by manipulation of the spine which took place after the metalwork had been put in place. Had this been the cause, the Defendant would not have been found to be negligent. However, the Claimant disputed that explanation and claimed that the surgeon had negligently inserted the screws, causing one of them to compress her spinal cord. The Court accepted that it was more likely than not that the paraplegia had been caused in this way. The Court found that the NHS Trust had been negligent for two reasons. Firstly, the surgeon had failed to make use of bi-planar imaging when carrying out the operation, despite only carrying out 5 or 6 such operations a year. Further, the NHS Trust had failed to make Spinal Cord Monitoring available. This was despite requests from the surgeon to make the facility available, and despite the fact that the facility is available at the vast majority of treatment centres.

GARY THOMAS v ARRIVE TRAINS WALES LTD: PAUL STUDHOLME v ARRIVA TRAINS WALES LTD: BARRY PATRICK ROGAN v ARRIVA TRAINS WALES LTD (CC Swansea) (Judge Vosper QC 30 November 2009) 3 train drivers sought compensation from their employer for carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic compartment syndrome, which they claimed had been caused by driving.   The Defendant was required to put itself in a position to eradicate any bad or potentially harmful driving styles among its employees. It was also obligated to carry out risk assessments in respect of every aspect of its staff’s work. Risk assessments were not carried out by appropriately trained individuals to identify the risk entailed in the act of driving the trains. The Defendant was also in breach of its obligation to provide adequate health and safety information and training. Had the risk assessment been carried out, the Court found that a risk of upper limb disorders would have been identified. The carpal tunnel syndrome developed by the Claimants could have been avoided by the installation of appropriate seating and arm rests. This injury claim therefore succeeded. The aspect of the claim relating to chronic compartment syndrome was unsuccessful. This was due to a lack of medical evidence supporting the argument that it is a work-related condition.

NO-WIN-NO-FEE AVAILABLE WHERE RISK-ADJUSTED FUNDING IS NEEDED

No surprises and no hidden costs with our qualified solicitors