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<strong>Call</strong> <strong>Sign</strong> <strong>May</strong> 20<strong>06</strong> Page 34<br />
Thinking about a compensation claim but confused by TV ads promising the earth followed by<br />
requests for you to take out expensive insurance policies? <strong>Call</strong> <strong>Sign</strong>’s legal expert, Hope Liebersohn, is<br />
on the Law Society Personal Injuries Panel and could help…<br />
CALL SIGN LEGAL MATTERS<br />
Pain and suffering…<br />
“It’s not the money, it’s the principle of the thing,” my clients often say<br />
when they see me regarding personal injury compensation. Most of<br />
them mean it, but when someone injures you, they rarely apologise.<br />
Even less likely than an apology from the wrongdoer, is revenge<br />
against him – no court in England or Wales will award you an eye for<br />
an eye or a tooth for a tooth. An eye is worth £30,000 - £36,000 and a<br />
front tooth £1250 - £2150. Here are some other tariffs taken from the<br />
guide used by all county and high court judges:<br />
Sprained ankle - one year to recovery: £3250<br />
Broken nose with full recovery: £1000 - £1350<br />
Slipped disc, recovery to ‘nuisance’ level without surgery: £4250<br />
- £7500<br />
Total deafness: £50,000<br />
Paraplegia: £120,000 - £155,000<br />
Broken wrist with arthritis in future: About £6750 - £13,500<br />
Food poisoning with cramps and diarrhoea: £500 - £2150<br />
Impotence and sterility – young man: About £80,000<br />
Post-traumatic stress disorder, causing significant disability for<br />
the foreseeable future: About £20,000-£25,000<br />
Facial scars on women are worth more than on men, although damage<br />
to marriage prospects no longer come into the reckoning. A permanent<br />
disability, such as a broken nose with breathing difficulty,<br />
could be worth twice as much at age 20 as it is at age 60, since the victim<br />
has to live with it much longer. Put forward evidence of your sports<br />
achievements and you’ll get a bigger cheque than a couch potato left<br />
Exclusive <strong>Call</strong> <strong>Sign</strong> offer…<br />
TRY THE POWER<br />
PILL FOR FREE!<br />
with the same broken ankle.<br />
Although it’s hard to quantify, the loss of congenial<br />
employment can fetch up to half a year’s wages or<br />
so, if the injury ends a career you loved. Firemen,<br />
performing artists, servicemen and teachers, for<br />
example, could do other jobs, but it might not<br />
give so much satisfaction. Injury can limit<br />
your employment prospects, too. After a<br />
head injury causing epilepsy, any driving job<br />
would be ruled out and you could get up to<br />
two years’ net earnings for “disadvantage on<br />
the labour market,” reflecting the limited<br />
choices now open to you.<br />
Putting a value on pain, suffering and loss<br />
of quality of life is a difficult exercise. The<br />
value of life itself, under our law, is easy: No<br />
amount of cash can compensate the<br />
bereaved and a flat rate of £10,000 is laid<br />
down by statue to be paid only to a parent<br />
of a child under 18, widow or widower. If<br />
your 19-year-old is killed on the road, you can claim funeral and other<br />
expenses, but nothing at all for the loss of his or her life.<br />
Quite different rules apply - and larger damages are to be had - if the<br />
police are paying your claim – more about that in a later article.<br />
Hope Liebersohn<br />
hl@glenisters.com<br />
You have all read over the past 6 months about the UBiee Power Pill – how it has<br />
saved drivers 10-15% on their fuel bills, given their cabs a new lease of life with<br />
smoother running and increased power and reduced black smoke to assist drivers<br />
to pass the current emission tests. Well, Power Pill UK Ltd has devised a special<br />
offer exclusively for Dial-a-Cab drivers to say thank you for all the support you<br />
have given them by reporting your findings in <strong>Call</strong> <strong>Sign</strong>.<br />
In return for some very simple data regarding how much fuel you use before and after using the Power Pill (plus your own views on<br />
how your taxi performs), you will receive 2 free packs containing 10 Power Pills in each. Earlier tests have shown that on average,<br />
one pack will last a driver approximately 1 month. Then, after completing your free allocation, if you see a benefit from continuing to<br />
use the Power Pill, so long as you fill in the simple form with your mileage and amount of fuel purchased at the pump, you will<br />
receive the Power Pills at the greatly reduced cost of £17.99 - £6.00 cheaper than the RRP…..and don’t forget – the Power Pill is tax<br />
deductible in the same way your fuel is.<br />
All DaC drivers need do is to call Power Pill on 0845 1 30 80 77 and register your details – name, rank and number etc.<br />
This is what you do:<br />
<strong>Call</strong> Power Pill on 0845 1 30 80 77 to register…<br />
Fill in form before using Power Pill and send back to Power Pill in pre-paid envelope…<br />
Receive free pack of Power Pills and second form…<br />
Send back second form and receive another free pack of pills and form…<br />
And that’s it! Then, if you wish to continue using the Power Pill to save on fuel and reduce black smoke etc, just keep<br />
logging your mileage and you will receive the Power Pill at the reduced price for 10 months. Power Pill hope that this<br />
data will help to show various bodies the benefits of using the Power Pill.<br />
And of course, <strong>Call</strong> <strong>Sign</strong> will monitor the findings very carefully…
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