Rock climber, Alex Honnold, completed the first free-solo ascent of El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park, California in June 2017. In other words, he climbed it by himself – all 2,900 feet of the route known as “Freerider” - without any ropes, taking just under four hours. In a TED Talk about his incredible accomplishment, he explains the sense of anti-climax he had after a previous free-solo first – the ascent of Half Dome (also Yosemite) – in 2012. That peak can also be reached by walkers, via a path up another side of the mountain from the rock face. As he struggled at the crux of the climb, just below the summit, he could hear people chatting and laughing above him, unaware of his presence. He had climbed Half Dome before, with ropes and full climbing gear. On those occasions, because his clothing and equipment marked him out, the regular hikers had greeted him at the mountaintop with gasps of adulation and crowded round him for photos. Not so, on this Continue Reading
How not to market your personal injury claims services
That's right. You don't spell it "nuisiance". But spelling mistakes in stock photography are not regarded as a nuisance at Moray Claims. They brighten our day. Anyhow... Like all businesses, law firms must market their products and services. In the end, it all comes down to trust. Having a website with a wide range of educational information is part of the process of encouraging you to get to know, like and trust the solicitors (or other legal services provider) marketing their services to you online. Beyond that, the first impression you get - when you pluck up the courage to contact a solicitor - will be important to you. Most websites have contact forms you can fill in and submit. Should you choose to make contact by phone, however - How long does it take for the telephone to be answered? How long will it take for your call to be transferred to a solicitor who might actually be able to deal with your case? One thing which comes up repeatedly in advice Continue Reading
Ways to make sure that insurance will cover payment of your personal injury claim compensation
One of the first things a personal injury solicitor will consider, if you have a potential claim, is how you are going to get paid. (Yes, they’ll also think about how they might get paid for any work they do, but the first consideration has to be how easily you will recover compensation). It’s partly about whether you’re likely to be entitled to compensation - can you prove breach of duty or negligence? Fundamentally, though, it’s about ensuring as far as possible that, assuming your claim does succeed, someone will be there to pick up the tab – to pay you the compensation. Ideally, you want to know that there is insurance cover and that an insurance company will pay out on your claim. In this article, we will look at three aspects of insurance in relation to personal injury claims. Firstly, when can it happen that there is no insurance? Second, in which situations ought there to be insurance to cover personal injury compensation? And, finally, what steps does the law take to Continue Reading
Getting the sack for making a personal injury claim (health and safety protections)
The fear of being dismissed. It’s a fear that prevents many people claiming compensation for personal injury sustained at work. We’ve considered this general issue in other articles. In this article, we focus on protections which might apply via employment law, and health and safety law. It’s a discussion of health and safety at work, workplace danger and sections 44 and 100 of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Employers have extensive health and safety duties towards employees. And also to workers, self-employed people and visitors to their workplaces. The principal legislation in relation to health and safety is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This sets out basic health and safety duties. They apply to companies, directors, managers and employees. As the director or owner of a company, you have potential personal liability as well: you can't hide behind your company. The nature and extent of the duties in practice will depend very much on the type of business concerned. The Continue Reading