The man, from Johnstone, suffered serious personal injuries as a result of the incident and now intends to pursue a personal injury claim against bus the company.

In a statement the accident victim said: “This has really affected my everyday life and I’m in a lot of pain.

“People have to help me with all the basic things – I need help about the house, getting messages and general jobs I have. I have to visit the hospital every week for updates.

“I have spoken to a lawyer about it, and he said he will help me with a compensation claim.”

Following the accident the man was rushed to a hospital in Paisley and was treated with emergency surgery. After spending a week in hospital he faces a further four months of rehabilitation.

Because of the accident, the victim has had four pins, three plates and 46 stitches inserted into one arm, he has suffered a fractured skull and had pins and plates placed in his leg.

On the accident, the victim said: “I remember seeing another bus parked up.

“Some woman across the road said, ‘Watch that bus, son’. But it was too late.

“I ended up under the bus and don’t remember much else. I think someone gave me a jacket to keep warm.

“I didn’t wake up from the accident until the next day, when the surgeon said I’d been hit and that I was lucky to be alive.

“No-one from the bus company has even bothered getting in touch, so I think they are expecting me to take action about it. My injuries have caused me a lot of pain.”

When using cranes it is essential that you have the right lifting slings. A recent accident in Hertfordshire has resulted in a firm being fined after a woman suffered severe injuries after being hit by falling machinery, again hitting home the necessity of using the right procedures. Statistics show that around 90% of accidents that occur when using cranes are caused by human error and can be easily avoided.

Lifting slings and web slings are extremely beneficial for the construction industry, but should be used with care; following these basic protocols:

• Inspect all slings and make sure that they are in a good condition. Any signs of damage renders the sling unusable and these should be replaced immediately. You should also ensure that you do not overload the sling as this can cause loads to drop and cause injury
• Slide one end of the sling under the middle of what you intend to lift. You should then pull it towards you beneath the load, leaving you to hold each end in both hands.
• Slide the loop you are holding in your right hand through the one in your left hand
• Grab the first loop and use your right hand to pull it towards you
• The second loop will then slide down against the materials you are lifting
• Attach the first loop to the crane hook and check for load level
• If the load seems to tip then you should readjust the strap before sending the load.

It is vital that if you notice any signs of damage or tear that you replace your lifting slings or web slings. Companies like Catena Inspection and Engineering Services can supply you with all the equipment you need to ensure maximum safety and efficiency in the construction industry.

The district, which covers the N16 postcode in England, beat 20 other UK postcodes to the number one hotspot for home insurance claims. The survey showed that the areas which are the least likely to make claim are Bodelwyddan in Denbighshire in Wales; Elgin in Moray in Scotland; Peterlee in County Durham, and Helston in Cornwall.

Furthermore, the UK-wide burglary hotspots study revealed that in Apperley Bridge in Bradford, and West Bromwich in the West Midlands, closely followed Stoke Newington with 32 claims made per 1,000 enquiries.

It was London and Yorkshire that showed the highest proportion of burglary claims, specifically the capital areas Streatham, Wood Green and Mill Hill; as well as Leeds, Doncaster and Sheffield. The study found that just over 30 claims were made in Wood Green in London whilst 20 were made in Bramley, Rodley and Swinnow in Leeds in Yorkshire.

The figures were obtained between 1^st December 2010 and 30^th November 2011. Living in a ‘high risk’ area can affect the price of your home insurance policy and it can ultimately affect whether or not your fire, flood or burglary claim is accepted or not. MoneySupermarket recommends Brits to deter thieves by installing security lighting and fixing old locks. In contrast, Salmon Assessors advises homeowners to get in touch with them to find out the important difference between loss assessors and adjusters to see how they can help fight for your claim should one occur.

Workplace Accidents

An accident at work claim is no laughing matter, but some incidents in the workplace are quite comical. The difference between funny and unfunny in this context is usually one of seriousness. A slip or trip that ends in little more than a sore bottom and bruised ego is likely to be laughed off by all concerned, whereas a fall that results in serious injury is often followed up by legal action and an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive.

Safety Videos

To learn about health and safety in the workplace, most employees are forced to watch insipid training videos that discuss the finer points of lifting boxes, climbing ladders and so on. A select few training videos do, however, aim to make the experience more enjoyable for employees by supplying footage of tongue-in-cheek (sometimes literally) demonstrations and spoof accidents.

Television

Accidents and comedy have forged a strong relationship on television. In the 1970s, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, a BBC comedy starring Michael Crawford, featured the hapless Frank Spencer causing one crazy accident after another. In the 1990s, Bottom, another BBC-produced slapstick comedy, featured dullards Richie and Eddie on a seemingly never-ending quest to physically hurt each other in new and creative ways. One of the funniest comedy sketches of all time saw Only Fools and Horses character Del Boy fall to the ground in a pub as he attempted to impress the ladies.

YouTube

The social phenomenon of laughing at potentially serious accidents was given worldwide coverage when clips of people tripping and falling began to appear on YouTube. One clip described as “hilariously funny” showed a guest on a Romanian television show falling several metres off the stage. Of course, some clips are undeniably funny, as when Beyonce was filmed stumbling down steps during one of her live performances and Nick Weir, the new face of television show Catchphrase, managed the same on his first show.

Compensation

Members of the British public are able to take legal action against negligent employers under certain circumstances. Professional help and advice can be sought from a personal injury solicitor in Liverpool, Manchester, London and all other major cities in the country, whilst many legal firms choose to practise in small towns and rural communities.

Claiming compensation for an industrial disease follows a similar process to most other personal injury claims. The first step is always to seek medical treatment for a condition without delay.

Types of Industrial Disease

Industrial diseases might also be referred to as occupational illnesses or work-related health disorders. Some types of industrial disease present symptoms, which are purely psychological in nature, whilst most others cause physical harm.

Exposure to asbestos, one of the biggest causes of death among workers in the UK at the moment, gives rise to some of the most serious and deadly industrial diseases: asbestosis, mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer.

Conditions caused by exposure to vibration or repetitive activities are also common. Vibration white finger is a common problem among construction and road maintenance workers who handle heavy machinery such as pneumatic drills. Repetitive strain injury (RSI) or work-related upper limb disorder (WRULD) can affect office workers who spend long periods of the day typing, but any repetitive activity can cause injury over time.

Occupational deafness and respiratory problems, such as asthma, also form the basis of numerous personal injury claims brought against British employers, who are subject to rigorous health and safety laws designed to protect workers from harm.

How to Claim

To make a claim for industrial disease compensation, it is necessary to seek medical treatment when symptoms are first noticed. As soon as a diagnosis has been made, the prospective claimant ought to contact a personal injury solicitor for further guidance.

Legal Disputes

Home to several highly trained divorce solicitors Stockport is no different from any other town’s solicitors in the UK, with the exception perhaps that lawyers aim to mediate more than litigate when dealing with divorce cases. Though husbands and wives often argue over divorce settlements, an effort should be made by solicitors to ensure that both sides are treated equitably. This is no more important a cause than when children are involved.

Myths

A study published by Judith Wallerstein more than a decade ago argued that children were not nearly as resilient to divorce as parents would like to believe. After analysing a study group of 131 children over 25 years, Wallerstein concluded that divorcing parents tend to make flawed assumptions about the effects of divorce on children in order to justify their own “needs and wishes”.

Parents often suggest that children would be happy if they are happy, but as Wallerstein’s study makes clear, this is only true if children are exposed to a happy routine, where love, friendship, education and entertainment are provided in a traditional family setting. No doubt a contentious point, not least because many divorced couples do manage to provide sufficiently for their children, Wallerstein’s argument is simply that children lack the emotional and intellectual maturity to cope with divorce.

Evidence

Wallerstein relies on the evidence obtained from her study to contend that children are not necessarily any happier if bickering parents divorce in order to eliminate animosity. Whilst limiting a child’s exposure to emotional distress is obviously beneficial, Wallerstein claims that divorce causes irreparable damage to children, many of whom can be expected to act more aggressively, suffer learning difficulties and become sexually active at an earlier age than children whose parents have not divorced.

Legal Seal

A seal involves placing wax seal with the mark of the issuing authority or a paper seal with the mark of the issuing authority. When a document is issued under seal, it waives the requirement of consideration under the law of contract. Consideration under the law of contract refers to the obligation of each party to a contract, for example, when you purchase a car, your consideration would be the amount you pay for the same while the consideration of the seller would be the car itself, therefore there is a valid contract. If you were to draw a contract of sale and omit the amount of money to be paid to the seller, and the seller transfers the motor vehicle to you, then the contract of sale would be null though you would keep the car as a gift and have no legal obligation.

Some countries like Australia have waived the need to have legal documents under seal in since they interpret the seal as a formally attested signature.

Electronic legal documentation

With the onset of internet and electronic documentation, it has become necessary to have legal documents in electronic form. Electronic legal documents have electronic signatures for authenticity. Software has been developed to verify electronic legal documents and trace the electronic signatures on such documents. So as to  prevent tampering and unauthorized changes to electronic legal documents, the documents are encrypted. The practice of using electronic legal documents is widespread in the United States of America though other countries and territories are adopting this system. In an aim to address the concerns for security of electronic documents and in particular legal electronic documents, the United States of America congress passed the  Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act in 2000 to address the issue of electronic documentation. It is believed that in the near future and with the advancement in security, we may have every legal document globally in electronic form eliminating the need for having legal documents in paper and hence more is being invested in electronic document security in preparation for the anticipated shift.

The youngster, just 20 months old at the time of the incident fractured her skull under the weight of the falling rolling pin when the incident took place in 2008, and Boots have already been fined £6,500 for the incident by Dundee Sheriff Courts, but the victim’s mother will now seek personal damages for her daughter’s injuries, after the chain admitted breaches of their health and safety regulations.

The sum of £100,000 is for the personal injury of the girl and the distress and alarm suffered by the parent, who is counted as a secondary victim in the compensation claim.

Separate claims are also being launched by the child’s grandparents, to the sum of £20,000 each. They have alleged to have suffered a variety of mental symptoms as a result of the incident, having both been present at the time of the incident.

Having admitted liability for the accident, Boots will pay compensation for the injuries of the child but have contested the secondary claims, as being too remote. They maintain that they are not liable for the emotional reactions of secondary victims of the incident.

Mother and grandfather had entered the store during the time of the incident, while grandmother had remained outside with the infant. It was at this time that the child was struck on the head by the falling rolling pin. A CT scan carried out at a nearby hospital revealed that the child had suffered a fractured skull and internal bleeding.

Jonathan Djanogly, under-secretary of state for the Ministry of Justice, has confirmed that there are no immediate plans to update the current legislation which covers the rights of cohabiting couples.

Family Law Solicitors have long claimed that change is urgently needed to the cohabiting legislation, which they argue is far too complex and in their current form.

Those who support reform for cohabiting rights say that restructuring the legislation would reduce costs for the government as it would free up time spent in courts, and would also prove less stressful for the cohabiting couples themselves.

The Law Commission first recommended reform of cohabiting rights in 2007, but none of its recommendations were considered or introduced by the previous parliament.

Among the changes proposed by the Law Commission included giving cohabiting couples who have been living together for five years the same rights as married couples.

Those who have been cohabiting for two years would be entitled to inheritance rights, while couples with children would receive inheritance rights automatically if either partner died without a will, regardless of how long they have been cohabiting for.

John Wotton, president of the Law Society, said: “Cohabitants should have scope for financial redress in the event of a relationship breakdown. This area of law is in need of reform to provide a more rational and structured system.”

The US has just begun a patent war regarding software. It has been an anticipated war given the issues that have cropped up legally in recent years. It was announced in the second to last week of August 2011 that the European Union would also start to involve itself in the patent wars. They have urged the UK to avoid software patents and the UK government has already come up with a plan that will impose them.

So, what is the deal with regards software patents and why would the EU want to stop the UK from moving forward? Europe is considered a unitary patent, in which unlimited software patents could result. Software patents are a dangerous item to developers because it could mean a monopoly on software ideas. As an example, Google estimates there are about 250,000 patents for the smartphone. These patent ideas keep springing up, but it causes a host of legal issues when someone has a similar idea and a patent for it leading to many companys searching for legal advice .

The consequences are already severe in the US. Multinational companies are asking for the software patents to be spread throughout the world. In 2005, the European parliament took a look at the software patents. They amended a directive to reject that decision. However, they have just undone that directive. Legally the jargon is quite complicated; however, what it meant was pure software ideas could not be patented. It is partially due to the layer of ideas that it takes for software to be created. A lot of software is based on a pure idea that is built and changed in order to make the software different. This is why the pure idea could not be patented legally.

Now all of this might change. It could create a situation in which the base idea is patented and someone would have to pay to use the base idea in order to create their own software that is slightly different.

The unitary patent idea would make it so that no one country could accept a patent on its own. In other words, the other countries would also have the use of that patent in order to make improvements on software. It would extend the patents for use. Though the concept is rather confusing there is a reason for the change of idea regarding software patents. It all comes down to making software available around the world and making technology readily available. It is also so that patent funds can be obtained on a global basis for software.

Whatever the changes will be and whatever the courts decide the battle will be long. It is not going to be an instant decision by any court. It could create issues with software availability in certain industries. However, the consumer may not find the effects right away. Unless they follow what is going on they may not be aware of what is going on in the small scale, but eventually a large scale decision will be rendered.