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24.06.08 In what has to be a truly remarkable
attempt to delegate responsibility GMTV today reported
that local councils are unable to maintain pavements
because of money being drained away by over zealous
personal injury claimants and their lawyers.
The argument seems to be that because they are having
to spend time and money defending claims brought by
injured parties, they could not divert the funds
appropriately. This has led to a downturn in repair work
and maintenance generally which of course merely serves
to increase the deterioration of the pathways and roads
which cause the injuries in the first place.
An impassioned defence of the legal process was
offered by David Wingate (Manchester PI lawyer) who
quite rightly pointed out that in fact the Councils of
England & Wales have had a statutory duty to maintain
the highways to a certain standard for two decades. The
fact that they are failing to do so is not a new or
modern phenomenon, its is a long standing issue.
To illustrate the problem, GMTV also interviewed a
pensioner who had tripped on her way to the shop and
suffered a fractured pelvis. Her life had altered
completely since the accident. People in her position
are entitled to make a
compensation claim following a slipping accident. It
is only right that Councils are brought to account for
their failing standards in this crucial area. Not least
because the are flouting their statutory obligations.
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