Press Releases
Time for the media to put the “compensation
culture” myth to rest, claims Scottish solicitor.
IT is time that the media made a New Year resolution
to finally lay to rest the myth of the so-called “compensation
culture”.
That is the view of leading Scottish solicitor Angus Logan, Director
of the Accident & Injury Claims Centre at Frazer Coogans
Solicitors of Ayr.
Mr Logan today welcomed the report of independent market analyst
Datamonitor, which calls into question the idea that the UK is
an increasingly litigious nation, reporting that general insurance
claim figures remain more or less static, and generally puts the “compensation
culture” myth into perspective.
Mr Logan said: “In the past, all too many accidents at
work and industrial disease claims (e.g. for asbestosis) went
unreported and unclaimed. Victims of severe employer negligence
often pursued no claim.
“Sometimes, the investigatory authorities, such as (in
the UK) the Health & Safety Executive, were not notified of
accidents at work, or had inadequate resources to investigate
them fully.
“Equally, pressure of work upon police and prosecutors
meant that some quite serious injuries suffered on the roads as
a result of a third party’s careless driving resulted in
no criminal proceedings.
“In those circumstances, a compensation claim in the civil
courts may be the only means of obtaining redress that an injured
person is able to pursue.”
Angus Logan criticised what he sees as a concerted campaign
by the insurance industry to create a false public and media perception
of a “have a go” or a “compensation culture”.
He sees it as a self-interested lobby by insurers to save the
industry money.
Mr Logan said: “Why should adequate and reasonable compensation
not be paid to victims of negligently caused injuries, and financial
loss as a result of a fractured arm or a broken neck?”
In Mr Logan’s experience, insurance companies and the
legal principles of being required to prove negligence often make
it difficult to succeed in claims against schools, hospitals and
local authorities. The idea that many such claims are impoverishing
public services is pure invention.
Vexatious and frivolous claims are weeded out by experienced
solicitors at a very early stage, long before they are allowed
to proceed to court.
Mr Logan continued: “Legal costs are a necessary part
of properly investigating a personal injury case. Victims rarely
have substantial financial resources, whereas insurance companies
have considerable investigative powers at their disposal.
“Legal costs in personal injury claim cases tend to rise
steeply only when insurers fail to admit liability in obvious
cases, or to do so much later than they ought to do.”
Mr Logan concluded: “The insurance industry campaign,
typified by the recent Norwich Union report, has been very successful
in creating a false impression of a compensation culture. The
unbiased and independent Datamonitor report, by contrast, reflects
the true situation today.”
-ends-
Editor’s notes:
1. ANGUS LOGAN
Angus Logan is a specialist personal injury lawyer, accredited
as such by the Law Society of Scotland. He is Scottish Secretary
of the Pan-European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers
(PEOPIL). Angus Logan is also the Director of the Accident & Injury
Claims Centre, a division of Ayr-based solicitors Frazer Coogans.
The Accident & Injury Claims Centre was set up in 1998 by
Frazer Coogans senior partner Norman Geddes.
2. FRAZER COOGANS SOLICITORS, AYR, AYRSHIRE, SCOTLAND
Ayrshire solicitors Frazer Coogans have expanded rapidly from
small beginnings in the 1980s to offer a friendly and personal
service to all clients from their modern premises in Ayr town
centre. From their Ayr base, partners Norman Geddes, Austin
Thomson, Lauren Fowler and associate Angus Logan – all
experienced solicitors - along with their professional and dedicated
staff, provide a comprehensive suite of legal services to Ayr,
Ayrshire, Scotland and the UK, with particular expertise in
accident claims, personal injury damages, property conveyancing,
divorce and family law, wills, estates and executries.
Frazer Coogans’ Ayr office operates a specialist Accident
Claims & Personal Injury Damages Centre to assist clients
in making claims for personal injury damages after road traffic,
workplace, slip and trip accidents and also in criminal injuries
compensation. This Ayrshire firm of solicitors has also established
a significant presence in Scotland’s property conveyancing
market, advising clients on all aspects of buying, selling and
leasing premises both domestic and commercial, and handling
property conveyancing for diverse clients across Scotland.
UK divorce and family law is another area in which Frazer
Coogans solicitors possess particular expertise, advising on
the legal, financial and child related issues associated with
divorce, providing negotiation for amicable settlement and undertaking
litigation where needed. Frazer Coogans solicitors also offer
a professional, dedicated and sympathetic service for wills
and estates in the UK, including the administration of estates
and appointing executors.
Issued on behalf of Frazer Coogans Solicitors by Fame Publicity
Services. Contact Murdoch MacDonald on +44 (0)1292 281498.
Fame Publicity Services
10 Miller Road
AYR, Ayrshire
Scotland
KA7 2AY
Telephone: +44 (0)1292 281498
Website: www.famepublicity.co.uk
Frazer Coogans Solicitors
Dalblair House
46 Dalblair Road
AYR, Ayrshire
Scotland
KA7 1UQ
Telephone: +44 (0)1292 280499
Fax: +44 (0)1292 611645
Websites:
www.frazercoogans.co.uk
www.accidentclaims.com
Web links:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/12/prweb187964.htm
http://www.openpress.com/index.php?a=press&id=3178
