Legal News
£341,000 settlement for man injured when public lavatory collapsed beneath him (5 May 2015)
Date: 05/05/2015
Fylde Council has settled an eight-year legal battle with an unnamed disabled man who fell off a public lavatory when it collapsed beneath him.
The Daily Maii reports that the council was unable to confirm the man’s injuries after the incident – but has paid out £341,000 in compensation.
It is not known how the incident came about or whether the man was seriously injured in the incident, which happened in St Anne’s near Blackpool.
In 2013-2014, the council paid out a total of £773,000 in compensation after 28 claims were made – prompting calls for an end to Britain’s “compensation culture” by the Taxpayers’ Alliance.
In the last five years, settlements for claims made against Fylde Council have increased by 1,319% – the highest increase in the country.
However, the council has insurance which meets claims made against it, paying an excess of £500 per claim.
A spokesman for Fylde Council said:
“We are the guardians of the public purse and obviously we take out insurance to protect taxpayers.
“We give full co-operation to the insurance company’s lawyers in defending against claims where it is necessary to do so.
“It is ultimately up to the insurer whether to defend a claim or to settle.
The council is to review its insurance policy this year to “ensure it remains the most cost-effective”, the spokesman added.
Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors – No win no fee Public Liability Claims
Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors can advise members of the public who have suffered injury in public places as a result of negligence on how to make a no win no fee Public Liability Claim for compensation – including claims relating to injuries in parks, council leisure centres, public swimming baths, on the public highway (eg broken paving stones) and the public areas of shopping malls.
Personal injury claims have to be made within three years of the date of injury – and children can claim compensation up to the age of 21.
For expert legal advice on no win no fee Public Liability Claims, call Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors on 020 7923 4020.