When someone has an accident or receives medical malpractice, they may suffer from some injury; this is then called a personal injury.

 The type of accidents that may result in a personal injury claim can be road accidents, tripping or holiday accidents, accidents at home or at work, accidents of defective products, or assaults. Personal injury might also be because of medical and dental accidents. There are also some personal injuries which are technically categorized as industrial diseases.

 When the accident that has led into a personal injury, is the fault of someone else, the injured person may have the right ask for a monetary compensation from the individual whose negligent has cause the personal injury. In countries like Canada and specifically in Vancouver, the process of claiming for compensation might be quite complicated while the person is still entitled to such claim. This is where a personal injury lawyer might come very handy.

 The need for a personal injury lawyer may be felt the most when the personal injury victim desires a structured settlement. Personal settlement usually provides tax benefits and may help protect the personal injury victim after an injury settlement for their future needs as a result of the personal injury.

 The role of a personal injury lawyer is practically to protect the legal interests of a personal injury victim and to secure fair compensation for the personal injuries and/or the loss. Besides, you might be entitled to certain benefits that you may not be told. Obviously, the sooner you let a personal injury lawyer know about your case, the more efficient they can help protect your rights. In many cases, important evidence might disappear or be destroyed as time goes by.

Personal injury lawyers must stick to legal ethics at all times when dealing with their clients. A personal injury lawyer must be loyal to their clients and maintain the confidentiality to ensure their clients’ rights and benefits.

 It may be relieving to know that most personal injury claims are settled even before there is a trial held. Your personal injury lawyer does all the negotiations for you.

Some DO’s & DONT’s:

After an accident, make sure you take notes of how it happened. Also, if possible, get the name(s) and preferably even the address(s) of all the people involved in the accident. Photos of the scene and your injuries can be very helpful. Remember not to admit your fault right away. Giving a statement to the insurance company and generally, do not sign anything, before you contact a personal injury lawyer is not advisable.

A British fraudster who took his council to court has seen the tables turned. David Cairns said it was a slip and trip due to uneven paving which caused his ankle injury in the year 2000, but Cairns had actually suffered the injury during a game of football. According to The Telegraph.co.uk: “David Cairns received a £9,200 compensation payout from Wigan Council in Greater Manchester for his false accident claim.” However it is now, years later that his lies have been confirmed and he will almost certainly face jail.

Cairns, 44, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court and admitted that he was guilty for perjury and for receiving funds not truly owed to him via bank transfer. David Cairns filed a false compensation claim, saying he had broken his ankle by tripping on uneven pavement in Tram Street, Wigan, when really he had sustained the injury while playing football at Wigan’s JJB Soccerdome. David Cairns original compensation claim was supported by his nephew, Anthony Purves, 31, who confirmed Cairns story in court and secured him a hefty pay out. Both men admitted perjury and were remanded on bail. The two men will be sentenced in May.

A spokesman for Wigan council said in the Telegraph article: “This case goes to show that if you are a fraudster you’re always going to be looking over your shoulder – even if you strike lucky first time around. Compensation claims cost real money. They hit council services and they hit the people that pay for those services through their council tax. This was an elaborate fraud and hopefully the pair of them will get the sentence they deserve come May.”

It isn’t just here in the UK that compensation claim fraudsters are being challenged by the authorities. A man in Brockton, US, pleaded guilty to Brockton Superior Court recently for collecting more than $30,000 in worker compensation benefits while continuing to work. William Hoeg, 53, faced charges for worker compensation fraud and larceny.

It was while Hoeg worked at Capeway Aluminum and Vinyl Incorporated that he claimed to have suffered a serious back injury. As a result of the bogus injury Hoeg made a compensation claim and began taking worker compensation benefits on June 15th 2004. The investigation revealed that William Hoeg had been a licensed home improvement contractor and had worked on many projects before during and after his injury.

A similar conman, whose name is Raymond Duggan, is discussed on the Regional Asset Recovery Team (RART) website. Over a period of 4.5 years Duggan committed benefit and housing fraud the sum of which totalled £36,833. Raymond Dugan has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for his crimes and his house was put on the market in order to meet compensation claims made against him by Telford council.

The RART website says that this and other examples “show that we will no longer allow criminals to get away with just a short prison term and slapped wrist.” The RART is a governmental agency formed from officers and staff seconded from various police forces. “We are actively involved in taking the profit out of committing crime.” The website says, “in an effort to eradicate any incentive to become involved in activities that have detrimental effects on the general public.”