A woman is seeking compensation after a popping balloon caused her a serious eye injury.

Alison Fox had bought the balloons from Sainsbury’s to use as part of celebrations for her husband’s 60th birthday. The balloons were special novelty balloons that were illuminated by a battery pack inside.

While they were having the birthday dinner with friends, one of the balloons exploded unexpectedly. This caused the battery pack inside to hit Mrs Fox in the eye causing a serious injury.

She was taken to hospital where she was told that she was suffering from an abrasion on the cornea, and a shaken retina. She was left with serious swelling to the eye, and was blinded for a few days afterwards. She also suffered from headaches and blurred vision for a month after the incident.

Now, the Scotsman is reporting that Mrs Fox is considering seeking eye injury compensation for her injuries from the manufacturers of the balloons, Seatriver International. She is quoted as stating that any legal action is more about highlighting the dangers of the balloons then receiving monetary compensation. She urged people especially parents to take care when using the balloons.

A spokesperson for the manufacturer told the newspaper that they were investigating the incident, but insisted that all of their products met legal safety standards and certifications.

A leading cosmetic surgery clinic has paid £15,000 compensation after a South Wales woman was left with serious personal injury following a routine facelift operation.

Denise Maitland of Gower in South Wales says she was ‘seduced’ into having the surgery after watching popular TV programmes such as ‘Ten Years Younger’ and ‘Cosmetic Surgery Live’ but is now advising other women to seriously consider the possible consequences of plastic surgery.

Denise suffered serious complications after her surgery, including heavy bleeding and has been left physically and mentally scarred after spending £5,000 of her life savings on the botched operation.

Complications set in when the surgeon who examined her after the treatment, failed to inspect her wounds correctly before she left the clinic, the resulting heavy bleeding led to the onset of skin necrosis, which caused permanent damage to her face. Denise had to undergo an emergency operation to repair the damage and needed two years of specialised care.

Denise launched a medical negligence compensation claim against the Midlands based clinic and was awarded £15,000 in an out of court settlement.

Mrs. Maitland said she deeply regretted having the operation done and warned other women to think twice before proceeding with any cosmetic surgery.

Compensation of £210,000 paid after suffering a blow to the head. The award made to the Doncaster man working as a reception assistant at the secure psychiatric facility Rampton Hospital north Nottinghamshire.

The incident happened during a security inspection of a delivery vehicle. Mr. Prince asked the truck driver to open the curtain to the side of the vehicle.

It was at this point when the driver of the truck owned by EH Lee Ltd a road haulage company from Peterborough, opened the side curtain that Mr Prince was struck on the head with large iron bar attach to the curtain whilst trying to enter the vehicle.

Mr Prince was taken to hospital suffering from blurred vision and dizziness. He was examined and discharged and retuned to work.

Suffering with chronic headaches and difficulty concentrating, he also suffered from a change to his normal character that greatly affected his ability at work. He had to retire on the ground of ill health.

The compensation claim of £210,000 was awarded to Mr Prince in an out of court settlement.

The Ministry of Defence have compensated the families of two service men who were killed in Afghanistan in a plane crash.

In 2006 an explosion on board a Nimrod plane, which was caused during mid-air refuelling was the largest single loss of life of British troops in combat since the Falklands war. Fourteen men were killed by the explosion and among them was Adrian Davies, a Flight Sergeant from Amersham and Joseph Windall a Royal Marine.

All of the men including the 49 year old Flight Sergeant and 22 Year old Royal Marine were based at RAF Kinloss, Scotland.

Legal action was launched two years ago by the families of the dead servicemen and although compensation has been confirmed by the MOD the amount has not been stated.

During the inquest a coroner later slated the design of the aircraft saying it was “never airworthy”.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: “The MoD passes on its sincere condolences to the families of those killed in the Nimrod accident and can confirm that compensation has been paid which will help ensure their future financial security.

“When compensation claims are submitted, they are considered on the basis of whether or not the Ministry of Defence has a legal liability to pay compensation.

“Where there is a legal liability to pay compensation we do so.”

A man who was wrongly told that he was dying from leukaemia has won psychological injury compensation from the NHS for the trauma that he went through.

Anthony Moore was treated at Basildon Hospital in Essex after complaining of a wound that had become infected. He was then given the drug Linezoid, which is used to treat MRSA after medical staff wrongly believed he had the infection.

The Daily Mail newspaper is reporting that the drug unfortunately had a negative effect on Mr Moore and he was rushed back into the Hospital five days later. This time he was suffering from anaemia and low haemoglobin. Medical staff examined him and then wrongly told him he was suffering from leukaemia and that he could expect to live no more than 12 months.

The mistake was found out later when it was diagnosed that he was in fact suffering from peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage) and not leukaemia. The nerve damage had been caused by the use of Linezoid when he did not have MRSA. This nerve damage has left Mr Moore with mobility problems, and he will most likely need surgery in the future.

Mr Moore sued the NHS for their errors and negligence. The NHS Trust did not dispute liability in relation to the poor standard of care delivered to Mr Moore, and he was awarded £175,000 in compensation.

A boy who fell from a see-saw while playing in his local play area is making a brain injury claim for compensation after suffering horrific injuries.

Reece Geisler was just 12 years old when the accident happened at Fern Lea playground in Lindley. The Huddersfield Examiner newspaper is reporting that Reece was thrown off of the see-saw, missed the rubber matting that surrounds the equipment and hit his head on the concrete edging.

He suffered from a fractured skull and a blood clot on his brain due to the impact of his fall. He underwent extensive brain surgery at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, where his skull was pinned back together and metal plates were inserted. The metal plates will have to stay in his skull for the rest of his life.

His family have now launched a compensation claim against Kirklees Council who run the play area to gain recompense for the trauma he has been through. His mother has reportedly insisted that the claim is not to gain financial reward, but to get the Council to admit that they were at fault for the accident, and make the play area safe for the children who will use the facility in the future.

An engineer from Exeter lost control of her car and killed a cyclist, when trying to remove a spider from her sun visor.

The cyclist died on the A30 carriageway near Tedburn, St Mary on 11th September 2009 after the road traffic accident, a friend of the cyclist suffered serious leg injuries after he was also knocked of his bike in the accident.

It is said that the two cyclists were wearing helmets and cycling safely inside the rumble strip with a safe distance between them, when they were both knocked off their bike.

A witness in a car behind said she saw the car in front suddenly swerve to half a cars width over the rumble strip and knocked both cyclists off their bikes.

The driver immediately told the police who she was and it is said she was in a clear state of shock and did not blame anyone else.

The lady had been driving at around 60mph, when she noticed the spider hanging from her visor. She then grabbed hold of the spider, wound her window down and threw the spider out. By time she looked back at the road it was too late as she saw the first of the cyclists.

The defence said that she was in no way speeding, had a clean licence and was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The lady was given 200 hours of community service and has been banned from driving for two years as well as living with the memories of this tragic road traffic accident for the rest of her life.

The Judge said there was no reason to not believe the engineers account of the accident and said he has no doubt that the engineer is the type of person who will never get over the tragedy, it was a case of an error of judgement that created such fatal consequences.

A man who made his sister and friend lie in order to try and make a £25,000 claim for injury compensation has been jailed.

Anjam Shabir claimed he was involved in an accident back in October 2008. He reported that an illegal immigrant had reversed into his car while both cars were moving. The immigrant was a Mr Radic Steiner who has now been deported to the Czech Republic. An industry expert who investigates car crash scenes for evidence deduced that the impact had in fact happened while Mr Shabir’s car was stationary.

Mr Shabir tried to reinforce the credentials of his claim by getting his sister – Rubia Shabbir – and his friend – Mohammed Najeeb – to claim they were passengers at the vehicle at the time of the crash.

In total the three friends tried to claim over £25,000 in injury compensation from Acromas insurance who were the insurers of Mr Steiner. All three lied to medical professionals about injuries they had allegedly sustained.

Anjam Shabir was convicted of fraud and given a sentence of 6 months imprisonment. The Judge presiding in the case said that the punishment was meant as a deterrent to prevent others from trying something similar. Rubia Shabbir and Mohammed Najeeb were both sentenced to 250 hours of unpaid work.

A teenager who suffered a devastating injury at birth has won a substantial payout for the negligence of a Bristol GP with the help of compensation claim solicitors.

Marcus Glassenbury is now 18 years old, but problems during his birth caused him severe learning difficulties. He was born at Southmead Hospital in 1992 after his mother suffered a placental abruption. This is when the placenta separates form the womb and ruptures. Surgeons carried out a caesarean to deliver Marcus but unfortunately the rupture caused two brain haemorrhages shortly after his birth. Marcus suffered cerebral palsy as a result, suffering from severe developmental problems. His condition means that he requires constant care, as he is unable to walk unaided and has limited communication capabilities.

Marcus with the help of his grandmother made a claim against the GP who treated his mother during the pregnancy. He alleged that Dr Fiona Short was negligent in not referring his mother to the hospital quicker. She diagnosed a urinary infection when his mother complained of stomach pains but she was rushed in for surgery that night.

A compromise settlement was reached without Dr Short admitting liability. The substantial payout will compensate for Marcus’ pain and suffering, as well as provide for his extensive care. The exact figure settled upon was not disclosed.

A great grandmother from Gloucestershire has won dog bite compensation after being attacked twice by a Jack Russell.

Eighty three year old, Maud Franklin was in hospital for over a week after being bitten by her neighbour’s dog Bubba. This week her neighbour Deborah Journeaux was convicted of failing to prevent Bubba from entering her neighbours property.

The first incident occurred when Bubba made his way under the garden fence and into Mrs Franklin’s garden. His aggression that time was quickly dispersed when the great grandmother poured a watering can over him and he fled. The neighbour was quick to apologise for the incident, taking Bubba round to her neighbour’s on a lead. Unfortunately Bubba bit Mrs Franklin on the arm during this apology and she required hospital treatment.

After this incident significant steps were taken to prevent Bubba getting into Mrs Franklin’s property, including a ‘laser fence’ which gave a small shock to Bubba if he tried to cross it. However, on November 17th Mrs Journeaux’s son left the gate open while working in the garden and Bubba escaped. Bubba bit Mrs Franklin again, this time on the calf. She suffered a large wound which required a skin graft in hospital and has been awarded £1,000 dog bite compensation for her injuries. Bubba was ordered to be put down by the magistrates but has already been given away by Mrs Journeaux, and is believed to be in the Greater Manchester area.