We regularly get enquiries from people who have had a court action raised against them following involvement in a road traffic accident. If you are in that situation, what should you do? The typical scenario runs like this … You’ve had an accident with another vehicle when you were driving your car. The accident was your fault. The other vehicle was damaged or written off and the other driver was injured. Hopefully, you had comprehensive insurance and so your own vehicle will have been repaired or replaced by your insurers. They may also have told you they have settled the other party’s claim – by paying for the repair or replacement of their vehicle. Months later, out of the blue, you receive an Initial Writ or Summons (depending on whether the action against you is in the Sheriff Court or the Court of Session). This can be a startling experience, especially if the action is served on you by a Sheriff Officer or Messengers at Arms. The other driver – or maybe a passenger Continue Reading
Personal injury compensation and divorce
Personal injury claims come with stress attached. You have the strain of the pain and discomfort from the injury, the hassle of not being able to engage in everyday activities and possibly also the worry of loss of income through not being able to work. Coping with injury puts added pressure on your relationships. Particularly your closest relationships. This can lead to relationship breakdowns, whether that is splitting up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, or separating from your spouse or civil partner. Even the strongest relationships can be undermined. Personal injuries can be physical or mental, or both. As an injured person, you may develop depressive symptoms or changes in personality. In this article, we are going to look at what Scots law says about personal injury compensation in the context of relationship breakdown. We will focus particularly on financial provision on divorce or termination of civil partnership. We'll look at the situation Continue Reading
Difficult questions to ask your personal injury solicitor to ensure they are a perfect fit for your case
The Earth has not always experienced total solar eclipses as they are now. A solar eclipse happens when the Moon’s orbit takes it on a path directly between the Earth and the Sun. If the whole of the Sun’s disc is blocked out by the Moon, that is a total solar eclipse. The fact that the Moon can perfectly blot out the Sun – no more, no less – is an amazing coincidence. The diameter of the Moon is about 400 times less than the diameter of the Sun. The Moon is also approximately 400 times nearer to the Earth than the Sun. So, from the perspective of someone on Earth, it is possible for the Sun and the Moon to line up and for the Moon to perfectly blot out the Sun. The Moon is gradually moving away from us on Earth at about the same rate that finger nails grow. In the distant future, the Moon will be noticeably further away than it is now and so will appear smaller in the sky. It will no longer be a ‘perfect fit’ for the Sun. If you need to make a personal injury Continue Reading
6 reasons why you should not let the stress of making a personal injury claim put you off
We get stressed about money, reputation, safety, relationships, life changes… Life changes are a journey. And they’re journeys that usually involve stress. By the end, you're a different person. Both elements – change and stress – play their part in the transformation process. Personal injury claims are stressful. In this article, we’ll look at the nature and causes of the various stresses. Then, having considered these ‘problems’, we’ll list out the ‘solutions’ - the reasons why, nevertheless, you should go ahead with a personal injury compensation claim. Getting injured creates its own acute stress at the time. Often, there’s immediate severe pain. Beyond that, you have a loss of independence – with increased dependence on others. And also fears for the future: will you recover to full fitness? Most people seek legal representation for a personal injury compensation claim after the acute phase of the injury is over. Perhaps after you get out of hospital or after you Continue Reading