What To Do if You're In A Car Accident?

Nobody wants to get in a car accident but it is always best to be prepared and know what to do if such a case occurs.

What To Do?

First things first, take a deep breath and stay calm. You may be in shock so it is important to collect your thoughts and remain in control of the situation.

• Make sure you and your passengers are ok. Get out of the main roadway but stay at the scene. If possible put your hazard lights on to warn oncoming traffic. Get out of your car and stand on the grassy road verge well away from your vehicle. 
• The next step is to call the police. They will be able to provide you with an emergency number to report the accident and will help divert traffic until a car recovery service arrives to tow your car to a garage.
  You must report an accident to the police as if not you may be seen as failing to stop or failing to report which has a penalty fine of up to £5,000 and up to 10 driving penalty points.
• No matter who is at fault you must exchange vital information with any other drivers involved.
• Check for witnesses. If there are pedestrians or other drivers nearby ask them to stay until the police arrive so they can give a statement. Get their name and phone number too. 
• Do not admit fault and do not discuss the accident with anyone other than the police and your insurer. 
• When you have your emergency number it is important to contact your insurance company. The sooner they know, the sooner something can be done about it. Some policies may also have a reporting period where if not told in a certain period after an accident the insurance is void. 

What Information Do I Need To Collect?

The more information you can collect from the scene of the accident the better as this will help police and your insurance provider discover who is responsible. Even if you are injured and cannot collect information at the time, you may be able to return and get some details when you are better.

Things that should be noted include:

• Contact details such as names, addresses and phone numbers of others involved in the accident or witnesses.  
• Insurance details and license numbers of other parties. 
• The time and date of the accident.
• The other car’s license plate, make and model. 
• Weather conditions. What is visibility like?
• Name and number of any police officers in attendance.
• The damage to each vehicle. Photos taken on your phone are a great way of recording this. 
• Any injuries.
• Sketch the scene roughly so you can see where the cars are positioned.
• Estimated speed of the vehicles.

Be aware it is a criminal offence to refuse to give your details to any other drivers following an accident where there has been damage to property or an injury.

If you have been injured in an accident like this then you may be able to claim for damages if it wasn’t wholly or partially your fault. For car accident claims in Cardiff or surrounding areas look up Solicitor Nigel Jones!

Do you have whiplash?

Have you recently been in a motor vehicle accident and now have some neck pain? Then you may have whiplash. But what exactly is whiplash and can you make a claim against the other party involved? Find out everything you need to know about the injury here: 

What is Whiplash?

Whiplash is a relatively common injury caused by a sever jerk of the head called ‘hyperextension’. Don’t worry though, it isn’t life threatening! It is however widely misunderstood and often treated with a collar when in fact exercise and motion are more likely to lead to a rapid recovery. 

When a person’s neck is suddenly subject to an acceleration and deceleration force it will make a quick forward and backward movement that can cause damage. This damage will include stress to the bone and surrounding soft tissue and is most commonly seen in car accidents where parties are traveling at high speeds. 

The term ‘whiplash injury’ is used to describe the physical damage whereas ‘whiplash associated disorders’ will include related injuries in a more severe case which may last for years after an accident takes place. 

Symptoms

Common symptoms that may be related to whiplash include: 

·         Neck pain and stiffness

·         Shoulder pain and stiffness

·         Dizziness

·         Fatigue

·         Headaches

·         Jaw pain

·         Arm pain or weakness

·         Back pain

·         Ringing in the years (tinnitus)

·         Visual disturbances

In extreme cases of a whiplash associated disorder a person may also suffer from: 

·         Insomnia or sleep disturbances

·         Drug dependency

·         (PTSD) Post-traumatic stress disorder

·         Anxiety

·         Depression 

Treating Whiplash 

Unfortunately for those who suffer from whiplash there isn’t a lot you can do to speed up the heeling process, you simply have to wait it out and your neck will eventually get better on its own. The best thing you can do for your neck, in contrast to popular beliefs, is to keep it mobile. Avoid the use of collars or neck braces if possible. Your neck will hurt but trust us it will help. If the pain gets too much then paracetamol or ibuprofen may help. Always consult your doctor if you believe you are suffering from whiplash. 

Claiming Against a Whiplash Injury

Whiplash may not be a permanent or life threatening injury however it can cause a partial disability for some time after the incident and therefore may cause an increased amount of expenditure. A person with whiplash may not be able to go to work and as a result will have a loss of earnings and productivity. If you have been injured in an accident then you may be able to make claim.

As long as the crash was partly or wholly someone else’s fault then you may have a good case for compensation. If you decide to make a claim for whiplash then you may also be able to claim disability and litigation costs. It may be worth speaking to your local accident claims solicitor to know your rights. 

If you would like more information on how to make whiplash claims in Cardiff or anywhere for that matter then get in contact with Nigel Jones’ solicitors firm, JMD Law. Specialists in accident claims they have years of experience acting on the behalf of injured clients and could recover compensation for you!

Televising the courts: Real life crime drama

Have you always wondered what the inside of a court looked like and how important cases were heard? Well, live broadcasting from the Court of Appeal is now on TV.

Launched from a control desk within the court of appeal itself it is hoped that the televised appeals will increase transparency and improve understanding of the UK court system. Currently only civil or criminal appeals are broadcast - not appeals against conviction due to the chance of a retrial.

Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales has said that,

"We believe it will help assist understanding of the way in which the courts work and enable the public to see the way justice is delivered in an even more open and transparent manner than at present."

How it works

Only one case will be filmed at a given time despite many being heard, and this case will be chosen by four newsgatherers and the permission giving judge. Due to a mobile set up the equipment can be moved from any of the 15 courtrooms to another with ease.

The man in charge is video-journalist, Matt Nicholls. He will control the cameras and decide which parts (if not all) should be televised. The project is funded by four press giants to which Nicholls must report: The BBC, Sky News, ITN and the Press Association. The PA will provide the clips which will appear on newspaper websites.

So, when we say the broadcasts are live that isn’t strictly true, but near enough. There will be a 70 second delay in the airing so that any sensitive information can be omitted. These details could include:

·         Swearing and other profanities

·         Court order protected or unreportable information

·         Images of individuals who should not be shown such as the witness or appellant

One of the many reasons why video equipment has not been allowed into court before includes its obtrusive nature but thanks to a streamline design by Sky News the equipment is almost unnoticeable. Bespoke and made to camouflage within its Victorian wood surroundings, the recording equipment is placed on a tea-trolley like a piece of furniture while cameras are placed on the surrounding bookshelves.   

Another issue has been the rules on photography in court. It has been an offence to take photographs of participants in a court of England and Wales precinct since 1925. Although technically security cameras break this law. With these new television broadcasts a wide shot of the courtroom will be used as well as shots of the lawyer or judge who is speaking at the time. However any witness testimonials will be reported without showing their faces in order to maintain anonymity.

Of course these rules only apply in England and Wales, whilst Scotland have been televising criminal cases for nearly two decades.

The future of televised courts

Televised court cases were first recommended nearly 25 years ago by a committee of barristers chaired by Jonathon Caplan QC. However after the highly publicised murder case of OJ Simpson across the pond in America in 1994 which was broadcast worldwide, the recommendation was postponed.

Now a quarter of a century later the suggestion has materialised again and if successful may extend to broadcasting sentencing remarks following trials in the Crown Court.

TV companies would love to get into the Crown Court as with high profile cases comes the chance of salacious or sensational stories. It would make great TV with a real sense of drama. We must remember however that this isn’t done for good viewing TV but rather to give insight into a real life process.

This televised version would be edited and key moments would be publicised possibly creating a ‘distortion of reality’. TV companies often want the most celebrity-ridden or action packed cases and therefore a chosen selection of pieces may make a case seem more extreme than it is.

What do you think about televised cases at the Court of Appeal? Is it a good thing or too intrusive?