| Accident injury claims in the homeMost people | | | | |
| probably don't think about the dangers of | | | | The celebration had been put on by my |
| facing an accident injury claim being made by | | | | friend's parents. To mark our graduation and |
| a visitor to their own home. | | | | our burgeoning adulthood they had even laid |
| | | | on some beers and wine for us to drink. This |
| Yet this is a very real possibility. While a | | | | was despite the fact only around half of us |
| compensation claim certainly has the | | | | had reached 18 the legal drinking age. |
| potential to sour friendships, there is no | | | | |
| real reason why one should. Usually, the | | | | Ella's best friend, Jenny, was there. She was |
| insurers of the residency where the accident | | | | of a very slight build and, at that stage, |
| occurred will pay out any compensation | | | | had virtually no experience of drinking |
| arising out of the injury claim, meaning | | | | alcohol. Pretty soon she was friendly, |
| there need not necessarily be any financial | | | | cheerful and effusive, but by no means |
| loss incurred by the home-owner. | | | | completely drunk. |
| | | | |
| Looking at these kinds of personal injury | | | | As it approached midnight, Jenny decided it |
| claims from an objective viewpoint is a | | | | was time for her to go home, so she phoned |
| useful exercise. If someone has suffered | | | | her parents to ask for a lift. What she |
| pain, injury and financial loss through no | | | | hadn't noticed was that Ella's parents had |
| fault of his or her own, seeking compensation | | | | only recently closed the sliding glass doors. |
| is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. | | | | |
| | | | The fact that these glass doors had no |
| People have been doing this for thousands of | | | | markings to indicate their presence, coupled |
| years. Many eminent historians argue that the | | | | with Jenny's tipsiness meant she failed to |
| existence of a system of monetary | | | | notice them so crashed through the glass as |
| compensation is a good indicator of a | | | | she walked towards the phone, sustaining |
| civilised society. | | | | severe cuts to her face and arms. |
| | | | |
| The Royal Society for the Prevention of | | | | Ella rushed over to and tried to stem the |
| Accidents (ROSPA) have long been trying to | | | | flow of blood with several t-shirts, while I |
| drive the message home that accidents in the | | | | called emergency services. |
| home represent a real danger to everyone and | | | | |
| that people should be doing more to lessen | | | | Eventually, Jenny turned out to be alright, |
| their likelihood. | | | | although she did need some corrective |
| | | | cosmetic surgery to minimise the effect of |
| They report that every year, 4,000 people are | | | | scarring to her face. |
| killed in accidents in the home. Further to | | | | |
| that, hospitals report that 2.7 million | | | | Funding of both the her surgery and the |
| people each year turn up at accident and | | | | counselling Jenny needed to help her recover |
| emergency wards seeking treatments for | | | | from the trauma of the incident cost her |
| injuries sustained in the workplace. While | | | | parents quite a lot of money; money they |
| only a small percentage of these resulted in | | | | didn't really have. |
| accident injury claims, enough of them did | | | | |
| for the total compensation claim cost to run | | | | This was part of their motivation for making |
| into millions of pounds. | | | | an accident injury claim. |
| | | | |
| A personal account | | | | I would be lying if I said that this didn't |
| | | | sour the atmosphere between the two families |
| I must admit that I do, in fact, have a | | | | for a while. However, nearly a decade on |
| personal interest in this subject. Nearly ten | | | | Jenny and Ella are again really close. So |
| years ago I was at a friend's school | | | | close, in fact, that Jenny was recently |
| graduation party. There were around 15 of us | | | | bridesmaid at Ella's wedding and Ella's |
| at Ella's family home, so it was a pretty low | | | | husband, he's none other than Jenny's big |
| key affair. | | | | brother. |