•        The Headway UK Helpline provides information, advises on sources of support, finds local rehabilitation services and offers a listening ear to those experiencing problems.
•        We publish a range of booklets containing information about aspects of brain injury that will be helpful to those directly affected, plus professionals, employers and members of the public
•        We promote understanding of brain injury and its effects
•        We lobby for better support and resources to be made available by statutory health and social care providers.
•        We campaign for measures that will reduce the number of brain injuries

  A recent survey compiled a lsit of the top questions asked of injury lawyers, here are the top three:

Q. How much compensation can I expect to receive?

A. The amount of compensation you will receive depends on the extent of your injury or illness and how this affects your ability to live a normal life. Your APIL accredited lawyer will be able to give you some idea before you decide whether to pursue a claim.

Q. What is ‘no win no fee’?

A. This term is often used to indicate that there is no fee to pay whether you lose or win your claim.

Q. What is the difference between a law firm and a claims management company?

If you have been burnt after using a sunbed you may be entitled to make a compensation claim against the salon or other establishment where you had the treatment. To have any rights again the tanning salon you would need to be able to establish that the sunburn was their fault. You may be able to do this if you can prove that the sunbed was faulty or that the advice given by the salon staff was inadequate and you therefore stayed on the sunbed too long. You will need to support this evidence with a report from your doctor.

If you can prove that it was the salon's fault that you were burnt, then the salon will be in breach of contract and you could would be entitled to make a compensation claim. If this is the case you should contact an experience personal injury lawyer and take their advice on how to proceed with the claim.

The weather forecast is for snow and ice to hit throughout the UK overnight tonight and for temperatures to plummet.

Here are some important tips to follow when driving in snow and ice and to help avoid the likelihood of a road traffic accident.

1. Stopping distances are 10 times longer in ice and snow – so keep your distance. 

2. Make very gentle stops and turns. Try to maintain a constant speed. 

3. Wear comfortable dry shoes – snow covered boots could slip easily on the pedals. 

4. Select 2^nd gear when pulling away, easing your foot gently off the clutch to avoid a wheel spin.

5. When driving downhill choose 3^rd or 4^th gear to prevent skidding.

6. Always apply the brakes gently.  Release them and de-clutch if the car skids.

7.  If you get stuck straighten the steering wheel and clear the snow from the wheels.  Put a sack or old rug in front of the driving wheels to provide the tyres with some grip.

A company is due to pay £75,000 after one of its forklift trucks overturned in an accident, causing the death of the driver.

Welwood Roofing Services has been fined £50,000 plus costs due to the Health and Safety breaches, which led to the tragic event. A second company, Building Research Establishment, is being fined £17,500 plus £12,000 in costs for its role in the fatal accident.

The employee was killed while he was manoeuvring a forklift truck, that he had not been trained to use, in order to help him dismantle a fire test rig.

Alison Ashworth, a Health and Safety Executive inspector, says she hopes employers will learn to improve their policies after this case. She describes the death as avoidable if the businesses had taken sufficient precautions in confirming their workers' training.

Four people are receiving hospital treatment following separate car crashes in Northern Ireland.

A woman, aged in her 20s, was hurt after the car she was driving crashed on Ballydrain Road, a few miles from Comber, at about 2200 BST on Saturday.

On Sunday, a man was seriously injured when the car he was in overturned on Ballydonaghy Road near Crumlin.

Two women sustained minor injuries after a car left the Boucher Road in Belfast on Sunday and hit barriers.

A Coventry Man has won the right to take legal action against the hospital he believes to be responsible for his severe disabilities sustained during his birth.

 Jonathon Khairule, 27, who has cerebral palsy, has started a legal challenge against Tameside General Hospital which is in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester. He is arguing that the North West Strategic Health Authority should be held responsible for the injuries that he suffered during his birth.

The authority has argued that it is too late for him to bring this claim quoting the law which states that personal injury claims must be brought within 3 years. In relation to children the 3 year period starts when the claimant turns 18.

It was argued by Jonathon Khairule’s lawyer that the ruling is up the discretion of the judge.

Mr Khairule requires round the clock care and is only able to communicate using a key board. He explained that it wasn’t until he was in his 20s that he started to investigate the circumstances of his birth and whether he might be entitled to compensation.

The High Court officially found in Mr Khairule’s favour in July 2008, meaning he is now free to take action against the Strategic Health Authority.

Industry News: Drug compensation awards

More than 59,000 people have registered for the personal injury settlement against pharmaceutical company Merck.

Merck agreed in November 2007 to pay out almost $5 billion in damages to people who suffered adverse reactions to their drug  Vioxx.

Vioxx was a globally popular general painkiller, which the company was forced to take off the market in 2004 after a clinical trial showed that it increased the chance of strokes and heart attacks.

Administrators have enough records to review over 9,100 of the 59,000 claims. Merck agreed to the $4.85 billion settlement with hopes of ending the 50,000 personal injury lawsuits against them. "Without this settlement, the claims might very well stretch on for years," Merck executive vice president Kenneth Frazier said during a conference call.

 It was less than many thought the company would wind up spending, and Merck’s initial strategy of challenging cases one by one (and winning most of them) still looks like a smart move…But with the benefit of hindsight, we wonder if the company might have settled for less if it had held out for longer

Noting the decision many were quick to point out that although in settlement terms, it was a substantial amount, compared to Merck’s financial clout it is something of a drop in the ocean

 For Merck, which has already spent more than $1.2 billion on Vioxx-related legal fees, the settlement will put to rest any fears that Vioxx lawsuits might bankrupt the company, or even have a significant financial impact. While eye-popping, the settlement payment represents less than one year’s profits for the company, the third-largest American drug maker.

Statistics show that a growing number of people are having to make claims after developing latex allergies. Many professionals come into contact with the material, but those most often exposed to it are healthcare workers, car mechanics and caterers who all use latex gloves in the course of their daily work.

A businessman who has been paralysed as the result of a skiing accident has launched a High Court action for millions of pounds in personal injury compensation.

Graham Anderson is 46 and lives in Devon. He was injured whilst on a skiing trip to the French Alps in February 2004. The accident occurred when he was skiing off-piste and crashed into a tree. He is now a tetraplegic. He is suing the ski company who are based in Cambridgeshire alleging a breach of duty on their part for allowing the instructor to take him on the run. Mr Anderson claims that he only had limited experience and should not have been taken on the run.

The case is expected to last 6 days.

Former patients of a plastic surgeon are considering taking legal action after a medical disciplinary panel issued the surgeon with a warning.

Dr Ashish Dutta who is based at a clinic in Sunderland was issued with the warning by the General Medical Council because it was found that his actions in the case of two eye lift operations constituted misconduct.

The panel also found that because his skills had improved since the two operations he was fit to practice. He had recognised that he was at fault and had sought additional training to improve his skills.

Both former patients of Dr Dutta are now considering making claims for personal injury.

Pfizer Inc. (PFE) agreed to pay $894 million to settle the bulk of litigation and state government probes surrounding its pain drugs Celebrex and Bextra, which were linked to increased risk for heart attacks and strokes.

The New York drug maker said it reached agreements in principle to resolve personal-injury cases, consumer-fraud cases and claims by state attorneys general regarding Bextra, which Pfizer pulled from the market in 2005.

However, the settlement isn't final, and Pfizer's announcement apparently caught some parties off-guard. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal issued a statement Friday afternoon saying "no settlement has been filed or approved by the court," and that Pfizer's announcement was "premature and inappropriate." Connecticut is part of the 33-state coalition that's been looking into Pfizer's drug marketing. Pfizer noted they are agreements in principle.

In addition, claims surrounding Celebrex - which remains on the market - will be resolved following what Pfizer described as "key court rulings" in its favor. Pfizer said the settlement is expected to resolve about 90% of the personal- injury cases for both Celebrex and Bextra.

Pfizer didn't disclose the number of lawsuits it faces over the drugs, or the average payout expected to plaintiffs. Jayne Conroy, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys in the case, estimated there are about 8,000 to 12,000 cases. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Pfizer had struck tentative settlements with some law firms representing plaintiffs, with an average offer of about $ 200,000 per Bextra client and $40,000 to $50,000 per Celebrex client.

The personal-injury lawsuits generally alleged that use of the drugs caused heart attacks and other problems, and that Pfizer failed to adequately warn of the risks.

"It puts the substantial majority of the civil litigation the company is facing with regard to [Celebrex and Bextra] behind us," said Amy Schulman, senior vice president and general counsel of Pfizer. "And I think the view was, putting these matters substantially behind us was the right thing to do."

In an interview, Schulman said the company is hopeful that it can resolve the remaining 8% to 10% of the Celebrex and Bextra personal injury cases that were not included in the settlement. None of those cases have reached the trial stage. "We are fully prepared to try one of these cases if we need to," Schulman said.

The settlement also doesn't resolve a U.S. Department of Justice investigation of the marketing and safety of the drugs, primarily Bextra. State probes in Mississippi and Louisiana aren't part of the settlement. And the settlement does not cover securities fraud litigation that has been filed in connection with Celebrex and Bextra.

Conroy said plaintiffs agreed to the settlement because of the risk that a trial jury might not agree with plaintiffs' depiction of the "dangers of the drugs." She also acknowledged that court rulings favorable to Pfizer in the Celebrex arm of the litigation factored into the decision. Conroy represents about 200 clients in the personal-injury litigation at the law firm Hanly Conroy Beirstein Sheridan Fisher & Hayes in New York.

The Pfizer settlement comes nearly a year after Merck & Co. (MRK) agreed to pay about $4.85 billion to settle personal-injury claims for its former pain drug, Vioxx, which Merck pulled from the market in 2004 after it was linked to higher risk for heart attacks.

Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra all belong to the same class of pain drugs known as selective Cox-2 inhibitors. They were designed to provide effective pain relief while minimizing certain side effects, such as gastrointestinal problems, associated with older pain relievers like ibuprofen. But studies began to emerge several years ago suggesting the Cox-2 drugs might increase the risk for heart problems.

In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration concluded the increased heart risk appeared to be a class effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, which include not only selective Cox-2 inhibitors but also older drugs like ibuprofen. The FDA asked Pfizer to voluntarily remove Bextra from the market in April 2005 after concluding the drug had an unfavorable risk-benefit profile.

FDA also said Celebrex was associated with an increased risk in a long-term trial compared with a placebo, but didn't ask Pfizer to remove the drug from the market.

Pfizer has since strengthened the prescribing label for Celebrex to warn of the potential heart risk. Pfizer said Friday it stands by the safety and efficacy profile of Celebrex, which is approved to relieve arthritis pain, stiffness and inflammation.

Celebrex had $2.29 billion in sales last year, up 12% from 2006. Sales have rebounded since a decline in 2005 over the safety concerns.

Pfizer said it has received favorable rulings in federal and New York state courts concluding that plaintiffs' lawyers failed to present reliable scientific evidence to prove Celebrex can cause heart attacks or strokes at its most commonly prescribed dose, 200 milligrams. Pfizer said these rulings probably would have limited the scope of the cases if the litigation had continued.

Pfizer also is settling consumer-fraud allegations in which plaintiffs alleged economic loss relating to the promotion of Celebrex and Bextra.

The consumer-fraud cases included those brought by about 30,000 insurers, union health plans and consumers who alleged they paid too much for Bextra, arguing that Pfizer promoted the drug as superior to older pain relievers even though it wasn't, according to plaintiffs attorney Steve Berman of the law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro in Seattle. Pfizer disputed these claims.

The consumer-fraud plaintiffs chose to settle because "we're facing risks on getting a class certified, risks in proving the case, and we had many years of litigation ahead of us," Berman said. "We felt that given the size of the settlement the class is better off taking the settlement."

The company reached agreements in principle to resolve claims brought by 33 states and the District of Columbia, primarily relating to alleged Bextra promotional practices. Pfizer will pay $60 million to the states and adopt compliance measures that complement policies previously established by the company.

Pfizer has taken a third-quarter pretax charge of $894 million, comprising the $60 million to be paid to the states; $745 million to resolve to personal-injury cases; and $89 million for the consumer-fraud class action claims. Pfizer said it has insurance coverage for a portion of the personal-injury settlements. The charge will total $640 million after tax.

Children from the poorest families in England and Wales face greater risks of dying from injury than children in all other social groups, a study has claimed.

The death rate from injury  for children in the lowest social class was five times greater than that for children in the highest social class. Inequalities were greatest for house fire and pedestrian deaths.

In a study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers from London's School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine examined child injury death rates by social class to test whether these inequalities still exist.

The researchers analysed all deaths of children aged between 0 and 15 due to injury in England and Wales using population data from the 1981, 1991 and 2001 censuses. Each record included the year of death, the underlying cause of death and the parents' socio-economic class.

The death rate for children of parents classified as never worked or long-term unemployed (social class 8) was 13 times that for children of parents in higher managerial and profession occupations (social class 1).

The report found that children in these families faced greater risks of dying in road traffic accidents, in fires and from undetermined causes than children in all other social groups. In short, the authors stated, these children have been excluded from the reductions in injury mortality made over this period.

The authors of the report said that explanations of the results were speculative, but probably lay in different exposure to risk.

A postal worker received compensation after receiving a personal injury from overfilled post bags.

The worker was injured after trying to lift an overfilled postbag. There was a shortage of bags so they were frequently overfilled and the worker suffered a sprain to his thumb and was unable to carry out his normal work duties for several weeks. Upon returning to work, the employee was only able to carry out light manual work and it was some time before the worker was able to return to full duties.

The worker had complained about the weight of the bags before suffering the injury. A judge ruled that the firm had breached regulations. They had imposed time restraints on their employees and had not provided training showing them how to correctly lift the bags. The worker was awarded compensation for the injuries suffered.

Most injury types that result in a permanent injury or a requirement of prolonged rehabilitation often have a support group or organisation associated with providing people with the support and care they need. Over the coming weeks we will highlight a particular group that provides support after injury.

 The term musculo-skeletal disorder is used to describe a number of conditions such as tenosynovitis, carpal tunnel, and tendinitis. Many of these conditions are known as Repetitive Strain Injury or RSI. Repetitive Strain Injury is a term similar to that of 'sports injury' in that it tells more about how the injury was sustained, rather than what the injury actually is

In 2006 nearly half a million people in the UK suffered from some form of RSI. The problem is increasing principally through the intensive use of computers and other technology that involves large amounts of keyboarding. Posture related health problems are also growing due to the sedentary nature of many jobs.

Those suffering from some form of RSI may get vauable information from the RSI advice website www.rsi.org.uk/index.asp

Road users are still being "needlessly killed" through the flouting of mobile phone rules five years after they were introduced, accident prevention chiefs have said.

A new law banning the use of hand-held phones while driving was brought in on December 1 2003.

Last year, there were 23 fatal accidents, as well as 64 serious-injury and 259 slight-injury accidents, involving illegal mobile phone use.

Family of travellers killed when a Russian airliner crashed on Sunday have been promised accident compensation.

The Boeing-737-500, belonging to a branch of the national airline Aeroflot, was on a flight from Moscow to Perm, near the Ural mountains.

Aeroflot, the company at the heart of Russia's worst plane crash since 2006, has said that it will pay out accident compensation of up to £50,000 for each person lost.

Twenty-one foreign passengers were on board the Aeroflot Nord flight.

One witness reported, "It was burning while still in the sky and it looked like a falling comet."

General Gennady Troshev, a close ally of prime minister Vladimir Putin, was also on the plane.

As yet there is no confirmation as to whether the affected families will be accepting the accident compensation offer. It is possible that some may decline the payout and instead claim compensation through a personal injury solicitor.

• Offer support and assistance from the moment of injury and for the rest of a paralysed person’s life
• Provide services to increase an individual’s quality of life
• Increase knowledge and awareness of the causes and consequences of spinal cord injury

The Water Company denied liability, stating that the claimant was not a visitor or an invitee, nor was she covered by the Occupiers Liability Act 1957, hence they did not have any duty to her to inspect the land. They refused negotiation for a settlement, but the client’s personal injury lawyer took the case to court.

At the trial, it was discovered that the water company had previously been advised about the missing manhole cover which was in such a poor state of maintenance that it had fallen into the access point, leaving the hole completely uncovered.

The judge was in favour of the victim, stating that the company should have instigated a system of routine inspection of the manhole cover to ensure it was intact. The judge awarded the woman over £8,000 in personal injury compensation.

Whiplash and whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) represent a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck.

Whiplash is commonly associated with car accidents usually when the vehicle has been hit in the rear however the injury can be sustained in many other ways, including falls from bicycles or horses or even headbanging!

In many cases especially those involving other parties or equipment maintained by others, accidents resulting in whiplash often give rise to a claim for compensation.

If you have suffered a whiplash injury please contact us for advice about a claim.

Road accidents involving cars  are the most common road traffic accident and whiplash is the most common injury, so what causes whiplash injuries? Being struck from behind in a car is the classic cause of a whiplash injury. About one in five people involved in such a collision ends up with problems with their neck and/or surrounding area.

This sudden impact pushes your car forwards. After a brief delay, your body follows. Your shoulders move forwards until they're under your head. When you brake hard, the car stops suddenly, throwing your head and neck back until they hit the headrest.

This sudden forwards and backwards movement stretches and tears the soft tissues of the neck - the tendons, ligaments and muscles - and may damage the nerves and other structures in the area. This soft tissue damage is known as a whiplash injury, or cervical sprain or hyperextension injury.

Most people recover in a matter of a few weeks, but for a few it can be the start of years of trouble.

The standard treatment used to be to encase the neck in a supportive collar to prevent movement.

These days it's thought better to use a soft collar for a short period and to gently encourage movement of the neck after 24 hours.

Whiplash syndrome

Like any severe soft tissue damage, the pain and other symptoms can take several weeks to fully settle. However a few people have ongoing problems including headaches, stiffness, tingling and other sensations in the arms or legs, tiredness, poor sleep and low mood.

This is referred to as Whiplash syndrome and is similar in nature to other conditions where pain and other symptoms develop as a result of damage to the nerves (called neuropathic pain). Treatment from a pain specialist may be needed.

Recently published research by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has highlighted that UK citizens have become one of the higheset claimants for whiplash injuries. Compensation claims for whiplash have risen by 25% in the last 5 years.

Figures show that whiplash is cited as a result of 75% of car accidents in this country compared to only 40% in mainland Europe.

An increase in tailgating and badly fitted and designed headrests are blamed for the discrepancy.