Road accidents
We often associate accidents on the road with a car or motorbike crash or a motoring incident. Most of us in our driving lives will have the misfortune to have at least one or two accidents.
The majority of accidents do not result in serious personal injury to the drivers or the passengers. If you are hurt in an incident - either as the driver or passenger - whether it is light bruising or whiplash, or possibly something more serious, it is worth finding out if you have possible claims.
A road traffic accident is treated in law in the same way as any other type of accident. You need to establish that it is wholy or partly a third party’s fault.
All drivers must have a minimum of third party insurance cover. This means that their insurers will pay if the policy holder causes injury or damage to another party (including passengers, related or not). If you are involved in an accident with an uninsured driver, or with a driver who doesn't stop at the scene, then your claims are likely to be covered by an agreement with the Motor Insurers' Bureau - an organisation set up to cover such claims.
Industrial accident claims
As well as accidents, work-related respiratory illnesses are one of the common industrial illnesses affecting employees and retired workers from a wide range of industries. Conditions resulting in claims include asthma, Pneumoconiosis, Bronchitis and a wide variety of illnesses from industrial Asbestos. The effects of these problems are varied and can range from mild breathlessness to a severe disability.
Also, Vibration White Finger and Hand/Arm Vibration Syndrome are two conditions caused by vibration from vibrating machinery. Both conditions affect the fingers, hands, wrists, elbows and the whole arm. Common symptoms are skin whiteness and numbness. The effect can be similar to accidents, normally a reduction in hand or arm mobility, with constant pain.
In addition, industrial injury also includes deafness and tinnitus, which are very common types of work injury caused by prolonged exposure to loud noise from industrial machinery. Claims are often associated with manufacturing, construction, rural agriculture and transport.