Police forces in Scotland are paying out thousands of pounds in car accident compensation every year to those injured by their drivers.

Scottish forces have made to release figures for the amount of compensation they have paid out to victims of collisions with police vehicles from January 2008. Due to the often prolonged nature of injury claims, there have been no injury payouts so far for incidents that happened after April 2009.

The largest force in Scotland, Strathclyde Police, paid out £255,744 in claims during the said period. However, this figure includes the claims paid for vehicle repairs that constitute the bulk of the figure. Strathclyde force refused to break down the figure into further detail due to time constraints.

Lothian and Borders Police however admitted that they have spent nearly £12,000 alone on claims to people who suffered personal injury as a result of a road accident where the police were at fault. Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary reported that they paid out a similar figure.

It is worth remembering that the compensation payouts are paid by the insurers of the relevant forces rather than the force itself. In all cases included in these figures, the Police admitted liability or were proved to be at fault. Therefore, the third parties involved in these cases were fully entitled to receive the correct car accident compensation amount.

Those injured on Britain’s roads are set to get their car accident compensation payments quicker under a new scheme. The new Government system is being put before parliament today and will be introduced from 30 April 2010.

The scheme introduces shorter fixed time periods for each stage of the claims process. Under the current situation, insurers have to accept or deny responsibility for personal injury claims suffered on the roads within 60-90 days. This timeframe will be greatly shortened so that they have to resolve their liability within 15 days. This is introduced to insure that the claimant gets any compensation they are entitled to as soon as possible.

The new scheme will only apply to road and car accident compensation claims for injuries valued between £1,000 and £10,000. However, these types of claims make up the vast majority of claims each year. The new scheme will therefore cover claims for injuries such as whiplash compensation. Such claims will be made even faster by the introduction of an online portal which will allow solicitors to share information quickly and securely.

The Minister for Justice Bridget Prentice stated about the new scheme that; “People do not need any more stress after being involved in a road accident. This scheme will mean that it will be simpler and quicker to complete a claim.”

A Cornish man paralysed in a car accident in October 2003 has finally received a total of £2.25million car accident compensation. Anthony Bennett was a back seat passenger in a car driven by his friend Jonathan Stephens who sadly was fatally injured in the incident. The car was travelling along the A390 near Liskeard as it left the road and hit a boulder. Mr Bennett suffered severe spinal injuries, including multiple fractures. It has left him wheelchair bound for the rest of his life.

Mr Bennett, a former bricklayer and labourer launched a car accident compensation claim after the accident against Mr Stephens’ motor insurers.  His legal team were set to argue that the insurers were liable as Mr Stephens was driving too fast and failed to take action to prevent the collision, but the claim was settled after lengthy discussions between the two sides. The compensation amount of £2.25million was approved by the High Court yesterday. The compensation will provide Mr Stephens with the financial support and care he needs for the rest of his life. The question of whether Mr Stephens will receive additional annual payments for his care will be decided at the High Court at a later date.

A teenager paralysed as a passenger in a car crash is suing the driver of the vehicle for £300,000 car accident compensation.

Ricky Western from Stevenage, Hertfordshire was just a teenager at the time of the accident which has changed his life. The incident took place back in November 2007 when he was a back seat passenger in a Vauxhall Corsa driven by Bradley Clayson. Mr Clayson lost control of the vehicle while cornering, and the Vauxhall left the road and collided with a tree. Mr Western is claiming unlimited damages for the severe injuries he suffered in this terrible accident.

Mr Western suffered severe chest and spinal injuries during the crash and was trapped in the wreckage for 1hr 20mins. Paramedics had to drain his chest at the site of the accident before rushing him to hospital. He was later transferred to the National Spinal Injuries Centre in Aylesbury where we spent eight months recovering. Due to the injuries sustained in the accident, Mr Western is paralysed from the waist down.

Mr Western blames Mr Clayson’s poor driving as the cause of the accident and his injuries. In September 2009 insurers for Mr Clayson admitted liability for the incident but the amount of compensation to be awarded is still being debated. The car accident compensation will pay for Mr Westerns’ long term care and provide appropriate accommodation for his needs. It is thought that Mr Western’s legal team value the claim in the region of £300,000.

Last week The Court of Appeal ruled in favour of a mother who claimed that Sussex County Council were liable for her car crash on a poorly maintained road. It is now thought that she will launch a road accident compensation claim for her injuries. Sarah Russell was driving her son to school back in 2004 when the Volkswagen Golf that she was driving left the A29 and smashed into a tree. The Court of Appeal ruled that 50% liability for the incident lay with the state of the road surface. They found there to be a depressed verge on the side of the road some 6 inches lower than the road itself. It is thought that the action of her front wheel dipping into this verge threw Mrs Russell’s car off the road and into the tree.

Mrs Russell suffered severe head injuries after the crash and was in a coma for a significant period of time. It took 6 months of therapy to get her to walk again. The Court stated that Mrs Russell’s’ speed of 45mph at the time of crash – the speed limit on the road was 60 mph -  was too fast for the icy conditions and ruled her 50% responsible for the accident.  Her solicitor is confident that even with 50% liability, Mrs Russell’s road accident compensation claim is likely to be settled in the region of £500,000 due to the seriousness of her injuries.

The mother of a young girl run over by a car on her walk home from school is seeking car accident compensation for her daughter with the help of a road traffic accident claims solicitor. Macy Waterman, 9 years old from Beccles, was with a group of pupils on a supervised walk home from Worlingham Middle School. While they were passing a church – where a funeral was also taking place – a car left the road and mounted the pavement, hitting eight of the children and one man mourning at the funeral. The mourner, Richard Calver, bravely pushed some of the school children out of the way of the oncoming car and paid a heavy price as he was trapped underneath the car himself.

Macy was one of the eight children taken to hospital in September 2009, she suffered whiplash and burn injuries. Since the accident, the 9 year old has also been diagnosed with post-traumatic shock. Her mother Victoria describes how Macy “is up every night crying, thinking she is being run over.” The driver of the vehicle has had her driving license revoked due to a medical condition, and it was revealed that the police will not be taking any action against her. Mrs Waterman has sought the advice of a road traffic accident claims solicitor in a bid to get compensation for her daughter and the serious injuries she has suffered.

Toyota is bracing itself for an influx of claims for compensation as the first cases against the defective cars were started in the USA. Toyota has recalled 180,000 cars in the UK alone, with many many more being recalled worldwide. The cars have now famously been called back because of a fault that causes the accelerator pedal to ‘stick’ on. Catherine Block, a 28 year old student in the UK describes the full horror of the problem with her Toyota Aygo. With no warning at all, her car would start accelerating all on its own even though her foot was nowhere near the accelerator pedal. The increase of speed could last from seconds to minutes and felt like “trying to hold on to a horse that was trying to bolt.” Despite attempts to get the problem fixed, her car continues to act with a mind of its own.

This problem is obviously extremely dangerous and has led to fatal accidents in the US. A family of four were unfortunately killed in California when their hired Lexus’ – Lexus is Toyota’s luxury arm – accelerator stuck on. In a chilling call to 911 operators, the driver Mark Saylor pleads for divine intervention as he reports their accelerator is stuck, brakes aren’t working and they are approaching a major junction. Lawyers have now started a claim for compensation against Toyota for this fatal accident. Toyota is also facing at least two compensation claims in the UK, with one person suffering a head injury in a road traffic accident. Toyota however, has declared that it has not discovered any accidents caused by faulty accelerators in the UK.