Over 40 UK children, who had their fingers injured in the hinges of UK buggy manufacturer Maclaren’s buggy hinges, have had personal injury compensation agreed.

In late 2009 Maclaren had to recall one million of its products in the US after there were reports that children were being injured. This then started a long running saga of compensation claims in which this compensation agreement followed.

Maclaren at the time insisted that UK buggies had not been affected and a recall did not take place. Allegedly as a result of the buggy’s folding hinge system, similar injury reports began to emerge around the UK. UK customers can request hinge covers via the firm’s website.

Maclaren refused to admit liability but agreed to the personal injury compensation. With the aid of its insurers Maclaren have agreed to make the compensation damage rewards in full. Depending on the severity of the injuries the individual amounts will vary and any money received will be invested for the child until they reach 18 years old.

Some of the cases date back to 2003 and involve children who were hurt when aged between one and eight years old. Some of the injuries resulting in the personal injury compensation payout included amputation of the last finger joint, fractured bones and deep lacerations. Some of these injuries left severe scars and in the more extreme cases permanent loss of feeling or disfigurement.

The NASUWT has defended the decision to award teachers £20 million pounds in personal injury compensation in the last year.

Figures just released have revealed the extent of insurance payouts awarded to teachers for accidents at work. These include one teacher receiving £80,000 for slipping in mud on school grounds. The said teacher severely injured her hip and back and was later forced to retire through her injuries.

Another teacher from West Sussex successfully claimed £173,000 after slipping in the playground and dislocating her right ankle, while another teacher received £40,000 after suffering a crushed wrist when a door blew shut onto it.

The largest payout to a teacher was £280,000 in criminal assault compensation. This however was paid by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority after a teacher suffered a serious assault at the hands of a 13 year old pupil. The teacher was working at a school for troubled teenagers when she was attacked by a pupil who jumped on her back and put her into a headlock forcing her to the ground. She injured her back and head during the incident.

The teaching union NASUWT has defended the amount awarded in these figures by claiming schools should be doing more to protect the safety of teachers. Their general secretary Chris Keates said; “It is of deep concern that many of the claims could have been avoided if employers at school and local authority level abided by their statutory duties and responsibilities.”

The personal injury compensation is paid out by insurance companies and not by the schools or local authorities directly.

The conservative party has revealed this week that if it is elected in the coming general election it will not be making significant changes to the personal injury compensation system.

The shadow justice minister Henry Bellingham has been reporting to law reporters this week the apparent change in Conservative policy. Mr Bellingham was speaking in regards to Lord Justice Jackson’s review into the personal injury system. One of his key proposals was to ban the use of referral fees for injury cases. In only November of last year, Mr Bellingham had himself admitted that “there is a very strong case to get rid of them.” However, he and his party seem to have done a dramatic u-turn by describing referral fees this week as “nothing dishonourable.”

Mr Bellingham was also critical of another of Justice Jackson’s proposals, that of stopping successful solicitors from claiming their fees from the losing side. He instead insisted that the true way to cut the costs of the industry was to prevent some cases from going to court. He noted that a Conservative Government would consult the industry on all of the proposals, as he admitted that some were just not workable.

The Fat Duck restaurant – owned and run by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal – has received a £200,000 compensation payout from its own insurance company over a food poisoning outbreak which forced the chef to temporarily close the establishment. The news has dismayed diners who became ill, as they are still fighting for their personal injury compensation.

The insurance company made the payout to cover lost business after the restaurant was forced to close for two weeks in 2009. The £150 a head eatery was the source of a serious norovirus outbreak. The Health Protection Agency conducted a report into the outbreak which found that unprepared oysters the restaurant was supplied with had become infected. This most likely happened through contact with raw sewage seepage into the sea. The report criticised cleaning methods used at the restaurant and its’ handling of shellfish. The local council however has insisted it will not be taking action over the outbreak.

In total 529 diners became ill with the norovirus, which causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting. They are still fighting for personal injury compensation from the restaurant’s insurance company. In a statement by the restaurant they reiterated that everyone who became ill has been invited back by the restaurant for a complimentary meal.

A man who suffered brain damage in a tragic car accident looked set to be awarded £1 million in personal injury compensation. The judge for the case however, has stated that he feels that this amount may be too low.

Phil Parker suffered the injuries in a road traffic accident back in 2005. He was a back seat passenger in a car being driven along the A38. The driver of the car – former policeman James Storie – sadly died instantly after he lost control of the vehicle. Another passenger in the car, Sophie Hill also suffered brain injuries and unfortunately passed away after two years spent in a coma. Mr Parker was thrown from the vehicle into the road during the crash as he was not wearing his seatbelt.

Mr Parker was set to receive the million pound personal injury compensation payout yesterday but his case was dramatically adjourned at the High Court. This happened because the judge presiding over the case expressed his concern over the amount awarded, fearing that it was not enough. This was because the calculation used to determine the loss of future earnings was based on a job earning £20,000 a year that he had only been in for a month before the crash. Before that, he had just been made redundant from a £32,000 a year job. He expressed his belief that Mr Parker would have had the ability to earn the higher figure for the majority of his life if the accident had not taken place.

Disgruntled customers who suffered serious burns from Land of Leather sofas are recommencing their personal injury compensation battle. The so called ‘toxic sofas’ were imported by the now bankrupt company from China back in 2006/2007. Over 350 customers who bought these sofas blame them for severe skin blistering and rashes that they have suffered.

The sofas were sprayed with an anti-mould chemical on top of the leather upholstery during the manufacturing process. It is this chemical that is reportedly responsible for the toxic burns. More than 2000 other victims, who bought similar sofas from different high street stores are awaiting the outcome of the case in regards to their own compensation claim.

It is reported that if successful the compensation bill which is being debated in the High Court could award the claimants with around £20 million pounds between them. It is the largest group personal injury compensation case brought by consumers in the legal history of the UK.

Zurich Insurance who insured the now defunct Land of Leather denies responsibility for the scandal. The insurance firm insists that the sofa company breached the term and conditions of its policy with them and hence are refusing any responsibility for the payout.

A group of passengers have launched their claims for personal injury compensation from Manchester airport after they allege they were injured and trapped in security doors.

The doors in question are said to be knee high gates close to the baggage collection area in Terminal 1. They are on trial at the moment as part of additional measures to improve airport security. The gates operate using smart surveillance technology. This means that if someone tries to pass through them in the wrong direction then an alarm is automatically activated. This is seen as critical as the area is a potential entry point to the airside section of the terminal. As well as increasing security, the gates free up staff for other duties as the gates do not need to be manned. Up to 10 million passengers use Terminal 1 of Manchester international Airport every year.

It has been reported that 7 people are seeking personal injury compensation for injuries sustained by the gates. Apparently these include parents of children who have sustained leg injuries and bruising. If the claims are successful it could cost Manchester Airport thousands of pounds in compensation. It could also see a review of the use of the trialling security gates.

A Mother-of-two is set to receive a million pound personal injury compensation payout after a ski-doo accident which left her severely injured. Emma Moore, a 41 year old former fitness instructor was on a family holiday at the Alpine resort of Passo Tonale in Italy when the accident happened. They had gone on a snowmobiling excursion described as a “ski-doo sensation” organised by Italian businessman Adriano Tantera. While riding downhill, Ms Moore was unable to operate the brakes or the emergency engine cut switch and careered at speed into a car in the car park at the bottom of the slope. She suffered major spinal injuries in the accident which has left her paralysed from the chest down.

Ms Moore’s legal team successfully argued at the High Court that the safety briefing given to her before using the ski-doo was entirely inadequate. Mr Tantera was ruled to be 70% responsible for the accident as he had failed to show the existence of and how to use an emergency button which cuts off the engine.

The High Court Judge stated, “The situation is therefore that Mrs Moore created the emergency but, as a consequence of the negligence on the part of Mr Tantera in failing to instruct her as to the use of the cut-off button in an emergency, she did not have the means of dealing with it in a manner that would have avoided the accident.”

The holiday company with which Ms Moore travelled – Inghams Travel – was ruled liable for the accident under an ‘excursion contract’ with Mr Tantera’s operation. The amount of personal injury compensation to be awarded is still to be decided but it is expected to be a seven figure sum.

A woman received £20,000 personal injury compensation after a shop display fell on top of her.

The doormats toppled from the stand after being disturbed by a customer who had previously looked at them. They moved suddenly and struck her on the head and shoulders as they fell.

The unnamed victim suffered injuries including soft tissue damage, which was worsened still be treatment. This left her with restricted upper torso movement.

A compensation claim was filed against the hardware store; the name of which was not publicly revealed, following accusations that the stand should have had a guard on to prevent the products from falling.

Money was mainly awarded for damages and injuries, which could include prevented the woman from carrying out simple tasks such as driving and gardening. It will also compensate for lost earnings and other costs she has encountered.

More information on public liability claims.

Schools across North Wales have paid out £225,000 in personal injury compensation for accidents to parents, pupils and teachers over the last five years.

The worst county by far was Flintshire, which made a large bulk of the claims at £148,000.

Examples of compensation payouts include £17,568 to an employee who fell over during a lesson, a pupil who got £10,483 for tripping over, another pupil who received £2,500 for being hurt by defective equipment and a teacher in Llandudno who managed to claim £7,780 for injuring themselves whilst ‘stretching’.

The information, which was obtained by a Welsh local newspaper under the Freedom of Information Act, showed that Flintshire’s biggest hit was in 2005/2006, when over £62,000 personal injury compensation was paid out by schools to victims of accidents. A substantial portion of these were made up of slip and trip accident claims.

North Wales Assembly Minister said: “We know the council (Flintshire) has inherited a worrying backlog of maintenance and repairs to school buildings, but then all councils suffer from this to a greater or lesser extent.”

He added: “Whatever the actual situation, councils must learn from good practice of the best in order to minimise injuries and maximise efficient use of resources.”