Britain´s ´no fuss´ culture and Charlie the dog

Claiming compensation for personal injury is a serious matter. Now don´t get me wrong. I like a laugh as much as the next woman, but suffering a serious personal injury, just ain´t that funny. A perfect example of one such ´hilarious´ accident happened to me 5 years ago.

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Sitting on a bar stool (nothing new there) at a quaint holiday hotel in Southern Spain, watching the sunset over the Mediterranean and dreaming of the day I would buy a house nearby, my thoughts were interrupted by a large, bouncy, Labrador called Charlie. Charlie was owned by a friend of mine and had taken a particular liking to me. As he sniffed and licked and jumped up and down with excitement, his lead somehow became ravelled in the legs of my barstool.

No sooner could you say ´bonio´ than Charlie took off faster than the speed of sound and yanked the bar stool from beneath me. As I landed in a crumpled heap on the floor, the assembled crowd of onlookers were tickled pink. In fact my friend was so convulsed with the giggles that I thought she may do herself some permanent damage. She managed to splutter ´are you ok?´ between great guffaws of laughter. It dawned on me that I really wasn´t ok. My left leg had bent underneath me and, not only was I in agony, but I was unable to move. After a bone jolting trip to the hospital, we discovered the leg was broken in two places. Luckily I didn´t need an op but was in plaster for two months while the bone knitted together. Hilarious not!This particular accident was not something I would have claimed for, but the fact is that hundreds of accidents happen on a daily basis that cause great suffering and financial hardship. Many of the people who suffer personal injury after an accident that is not their fault have the right to claim compensation. Some do but many more don´t.

A compensation culture? Britain going soft on the spongers? Try telling that to the 22 year old lad from my village near Nottingham who lost an arm after a drunken driver smashed into his motorbike. His rehabilitation was helped enormously by the compensation he received.I disagree with those who say Britain is becoming a ´compensation culture´. For every personal injury compensation claim, there are hundreds of accidents that go unregistered. I believe that Britain, generally, is more of a ´no fuss´ culture, and that the majority of the population will ´dust themselves down´ and get on with it, rather than claiming compensation to which they may well be entitled.

A friend of mine from Northampton slipped on oil at a garage forecourt five years ago. She limped into the garage and informed the ´not so helpful´ staff of her accident. Clearly distressed, she was told not to drive but to perhaps ´call a friend to pick you up´. Having done this, she was taken to hospital where she discovered her foot was broken. After being prescribed strong painkillers and being ordered to wear a ´David Beckham boot´ for the next month, she returned to the garage to make a complaint. She was told there was no accident book available and as she didn´t file a complaint on the same day, it was now too late. Being the type of ´no fuss´ Brit that she is, my friend left without registering the accident, and felt unable to pursue any type of compensation claim.

´That´s her own fault´ I hear you cry. Maybe so, but how many hundreds of people are injured every year, and hobble away without registering their complaint, while the culprits get off scot-free? Employers who are negligent, illegal drivers and dodgy package tour operators should be made to pay the price if their neglect results in personal injury. We have all heard the silly stories about shoppers claiming compensation for slipping on banana skins or tripping over brussel sprouts, but if you scratch the surface you will find out that the majority of personal injury claims are not that funny.If you have suffered a personal injury during the past three years after an accident that was not your fault, it is vital you speak to a personal injury claims solicitor as soon as you can. You may or may not have a valid