Lawford Kidd's Blog

New 20mph zones have been introduced in Glasgow as the city follows Edinburgh’s lead in attempting to reduce the number of road traffic accidents and injuries to vulnerable road users.

Edinburgh announced that a speed limit would be put in place in some areas of the city centre in March 2015 and Glasgow has now introduced a similar speed policy in a number of “high-risk” areas.

The Glasgow 20mph area covers a number of danger areas for vulnerable road users covering much of the South bank of the Clyde. While the new speed limit will not be enforced by speed cameras, police will be monitoring the areas to make sure that the new limits are adhered to, with new warnings also in place for drivers. The decision to implement a new speed limit was approved following a six-week public consultation, with 69% of the respondents being in favour of introducing a significantly reduced speed limit.

Despite health and safety initiatives having even more scope into the world of employment and some campaigns to try and reduce the number of accidents that occur in the UK, sadly, millions of people are injured each year,

Often people are injured due to their own actions. However, a significant percentage of people suffer severe injury through no fault of their own.

If you are injured as a result of negligence or careless from another, then you could be entitled to take legal action and obtain compensation. Regardless of the extent of your injury, we believe that no one should be injured through no fault of their own. Many people are injured but are unsure whether or not they can obtain compensation, however, we have compiled a list of the most common types of accidents and what you need to make a claim.

Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has been ordered by a US court to pay around $51 million in compensation to the family of a woman who suffered from ovarian cancer, allegedly caused by regular use of the company’s talcum powder.

The case was heard in St. Louis, Missouri where the jury determined that the company had failed in their obligation to warn users of the potential risks of using the product, despite the American Cancer Society raising concerns about the product in 1999. Many US manufacturers have since switched to using corn starch as a result of the concerns. However, a number of manufacturers in the UK continue to use alleged cancer- causing substance talcum.

Johnson & Johnson is now facing 1200 lawsuits in the United States as a result of the ruling, with users claiming they were not adequately warned about the risks of using the product.

In our previous blog, we told the story of a woman who is claiming £4.2million in compensation after her career was devastated as a result of a tripping accident at a London pub. Carmen Mazo, a HR consultant claims that her award of £156,871 isn’t even close to reflecting the loss she has suffered as a result of her accident - indicating that she would be making around £700 per day were it not for her fall. Ms Mazo suffered a wrist injury which has left her with prominent and significant scarring as well as psychological issues affecting not only her work but also her social life and confidence. This is an interesting case and one which has highlighted a need to provide those who have suffered accidents with an outline of how compensation is calculated, and how much they could be entitled to after suffering an injury.

A HR representative who sustained a fractured wrist after tripping over a rope outside of a pub in London.

Following the incident, Carmen Mazo, suffered an injury as a result of her fall in the Notting Hill area. As well as suffering pain due to the incident, she also claims that the accident destroyed her career and resulted in her having unsightly scars and post-traumatic arthritis. Furthermore she also claimed that the incident had a devastating impact on her mental health and social life.

The legal action currently being sought by Mazo comes despite the claimant having already taken legal action. In 2013, Mazo was awarded £156,871 at Central London county court after she sued the pub’s operators and they admitted liability for the accident. However, she has been given permission to appeal against the amount she was awarded as she believes that she is entitled to a significantly larger sum.