Claims News is changing

Later this week the website claimsnews.co.uk will move to a new format enabling panel solicitors of gocompensate.com to publish their own claims news content and providing an online e-publication of Claims News Monthly.

Watch this space!

Three killed in Surrey coach accident

Three people were killed and a number of others seriously injured when a coach returning from a festival on the Isle of Wight overturned after crashing into a tree near a tunnel in Surrey.

The 51-seat coach was going north on the A3 when the crash happened near the Hindhead Tunnel at 23:50 BST on Monday.

The coach from Merseyside left the carriageway between the tunnel and the Thursley exit and hit a tree.

Injured passengers have been taken to a number of different hospitals.

Three people were declared dead at the scene.

A fourth person was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital with life-changing injuries, said police.

'Major incident'

No other vehicles are thought to have been involved in the crash.

Insp Richard Mallett said the vehicle had suffered a "significant impact".

"I understand the road was dry. We cannot see any reason that the road conditions would have had any effect on what occurred," he said.

The force said the crash had been declared a major incident.

The road was closed in both directions and Surrey Police, Surrey Fire and Rescue and South East Coast Ambulance Service attended the scene, along with crash investigators.

Dave Hannel, owner of Merseypride Travel, said the coach left Aintree on Wednesday to travel to Bestival on the Isle of Wight.

He told BBC Radio Merseyside he would like to send his condolences to the families of the people involved in the crash.

Surrey police are working with the Merseyside force, as well as with the coach company, to identify the passengers and notify relatives.

Those hurt in the crash, have been taken to the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey, St George's Hospital in Tooting, King's College Hospital in London, Frimley Park Hospital and Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.

Other passengers have been taken to a rest centre which has been set up nearby by Waverley Council.

Surrey Police Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Kirkby said: "This has been declared a major incident and we are working with our colleagues from the other emergency services and other partner agencies to provide a co-ordinated response in line with agreed protocols.

"Our thoughts remain with the relatives of the dead and the injured at this time and we are working very hard to notify their next of kin."

A spokeswoman for Surrey Police said officers were currently carrying out a "thorough search of the scene including the coach and the surrounding area".

The road is expected to remain closed for several hours and diversions are in place.

A casulty helpline has been set up by Surrey Police for anyone concerned about people travelling on the coach on 0800 056 0154.

More than 50,000 people attended Bestival which was held between 6-9 September at the Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight.

Freak fatal accident in central London

An INVESTIGATION was continuing yesterday into how a woman died after being crushed by falling masonry.

The victim, believed to be in her 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene on Thursday after being struck by building debris, believed to be a concrete window frame, in Hanover Square, in central London.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said yesterday that police were working alongside the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to try to establish what happened.

The emergency call was made by a man delivering electrical cables to the area. He said that the woman was “flattened”, and that he thought he saw her “draw her last breath”.

He said he approached the woman after the 999 operator told him to get closer. “Her eyes were open and I saw her hand move and then I think I saw her last breath and then the light went out: she’d gone,” he said.

source: scotsman.com

Needless amputations in Wigan

DIABETICS are at increased risk of foot amputation if they are being treated in Wigan hospitals according to a leading charity.

Diabetes UK say that unless Wrightington Wigan Leigh NHS Foundation Trust immediately employ specialist diabetes footcare teams at all three of their sites (Wigan Infirmary, Wrightington Hospital and Leigh Infirmary) needless amputations will continue to occur in the borough.

The hospitals are on a National Diabetes Inpatient Audit list of hospitals that do not have a multi-disciplinary footcare team (MDTs) for patients with diabetes despite this being recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

According to Diabetes UK, having these teams in place to ensure quick referral can help reduce the amputation rate in people with diabetes, which is more than 20 times higher than in people without the condition. Up to 80 per cent of amputations in people with diabetes could be prevented.

Julie Byron, North West Regional Manager for Diabetes UK, said: “Everyone agrees that specialist hospital footcare teams are important for preventing amputations and can save the NHS money. This is why it is appalling that WWL is letting down people with diabetes by still not having these provisions in place.

“These teams have been shown to work and we need to make sure they are in place in so we can stop people in WWL unnecessarily having to go through the trauma and loss of mobility that comes from having a foot amputated.

“I will be writing to the chief executive of WWL to ask what provisions the hospital has in place and if these do not allow referral within 24 hours then demand it establishes one of these teams. At Diabetes UK we would be happy to work with the hospital and give them any support we can to help them establish one of these teams. We also want to let people with diabetes who live in the borough know about this because if they develop a foot ulcer then having one of these teams in place could literally mean the difference between them keeping a foot and losing it. I would urge them to write to WWL to make their feelings known and so add their voices to ours.”

WWL say that they are aware of the concerns raised by Diabetes UK and are addressing them.

A spokeswoman for WWL said: “WWL were aware and are actively addressing this issue in response to a query directly from Diabetes UK, which we received in early August. The current lower limb major amputation rate at the trust meets the national average and WWL are striving to improve this further.

“Currently patients with diabetic foot problems at WWL are managed collaboratively between orthopaedic, vascular, diabetes, podiatry and A&E services. WWL are actively working towards establishing a foot multi disciplinary team (MDT) that will allow referral into the system within 24 hours. This should be in place during 2013.”

source: wigantoday.net

Lottery winners offer to pay for cerebral palsy girl’s operation

A young girl with cerebral palsy is to have a life-changing operation overseas after the couple who scooped the UK’s biggest lottery win offered to pay for the procedure.

Four-year-old Isabel Wallis, from Musselburgh, East Lothian, will have the surgery in America in November, after EuroMillions winners Chris and Colin Weir provided the funds to make it happen.

The youngster’s parents hope the procedure will give their daughter the chance to live without having to use a wheelchair.

Her mother, Kate Horne, said: “I have been at breaking point trying to look after Isabel, but the generosity of everyone around us has always kept me going.

“Receiving the donation from the Weirs was overwhelming, words cannot describe it. It means that Isabel gets the operation she needs almost immediately, and the care she needs afterwards.”

Canoeing tragedy claims third victim

THE Highland sea loch canoeing tragedy has claimed its third

victim, after a five-year-old girl lost her fight for life. Gracie

Mackay, from Muir of Ord, died at Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow

yesterday afternoon. Her father and sister are understood to be

the two survivors. One other person is missing.

Private schools record best ever results

Scotland’s private schools were today celebrating their best exam results ever, as figures showed 56 per cent of all Highers sat were awarded an A grade.

Four Edinburgh schools are among the top six of the 32 private schools whose pupils sat Highers.

George Heriot’s School scored 65 per cent A grades, putting it third in the league table behind the High School of Glasgow and St Margaret’s School for Girls in Aberdeen.

It was followed by St Mary’s Music School, with 64 per cent, and St George’s School for Girls and The Mary Erskine School, both with 62 per cent.

Merchiston Castle School scored 60 per cent A grades, George Watson’s and Stewart’s Melville both scored 55 per cent and Edinburgh Academy 34 per cent.

The results came after it emerged the cost of private education in Scotland had soared by 63 per cent in a decade,

A report by Lloyds TSB Private Banking said average fees were almost £10,000 per child per year.

source: scotsman.com