After a Freedom of Information Act request submitted to the Welsh Assembly revealed the figures for compensation paid out to pupils injured whilst at school, there have been several alarmist headlines about the rise of the “compensation culture” within UK schools. Whilst attention grabbing statistics such as the £200 compensation paid out to girl at a Welsh school who slipped on a carrot may make the headlines, the figures reveal that far from increasing the number of claims made in recent years is actually in decline.
Often when viewed out of context, claims like these can seem trivial. However this often ignores the very real pain and suffering caused to victims who trip, stumble and fall needlessly due to the negligence of the school or local authority. It may be easy to criticise someone who receives £160 for tripping over a pothole in a school playground as taking money from the school’s budget, when in fact proper maintenance of school grounds by either staff or the local authority would be less costly and would prevent future accidents of this type.
Another settlement saw a child whose fingers were trapped in a doorframe receive a £1,300 compensation payout. On the surface this may seem disproportionate, but as the article does not describe the seriousness of the injuries, there is no way to judge whether the injury suffered was a minor bruise, or a serious cut which may have left the child in question with permanent scarring. Often when journalists are writing articles outlining the rise of the “Compensation Culture”, they fail to include the details of the many thousands of genuinely injured people who make claims after they have been involved in accidents that could have been prevented or avoided.
Camps Solicitors specialize in helping people who have been injured in tripping or falling accidents that were not their fault to claim compensation for their injuries. If you have been unfortunate enough to trip or fall through no fault of your own, then with our help you may be able to claim compensation that reflects the impact of your injuries on your life. Call Camps Solicitors today to speak to one of our staff for more advice on whether you have the grounds to make a successful claim.
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