Granny tries to claim after injury
No win no fee claims for pavement injuries are rife throughout the UK, and yet many council’s appear to be doing nothing to solve the problem.
One example of this is a grandmother, 76, from Wanstead, who recently received severe personal injuries, after she tripped over a loose paving slab.
The nana of two, broke both her arms when falling on the public pathway in Wanstead. Despite local residents campaigning against the hazardous paths, the walkways are still dangerous nearly a year later.
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The victim only signed off from treatment at Whipps Cross University Hospital last week after undergoing months of rehabilitation to recover from the incident last autumn 2008.
The grandma fell while walking near her home in Cambridge Park, and said that she has 'lost' a year of her life as a result of the injury.
She now fears another elderly person could suffer the same fate unless the streets are made safer. Her concerns are backed by figures which revealed earlier this year, that one in three paving stones in Redbridge are in need of repair - one of the highest proportions in London.
She commented on the accident: “You only have to look at the broken paving stones at the entrance to my block of flats to see that they've not fixed anything.
“The pavements around here are in a bad state, and yet the council hasn't done anything about it. I had to have an operation to free a trapped nerve in my arm, and have not played bowls since the accident.”
To make matters worse, she said she has never received an apology or compensation from the council for her injury.
She claims that poor maintenance standards towards the pavements were the reason behind her fall, “The council hasn't even said sorry which makes me angry.”
Valerie Sayers, of the Wanstead Society, said locals wanted to see the paving stones fixed, rather than replaced with the cheaper option of tarmac, as feared.
“We've heard rumour than they are going to Tarmac the pavements because it's cheaper. The current paving stones are in a bad state, and it's not just elderly people who trip on them so something has to be done. But none of us want Tarmac.”
Path pandemic
It has been revealed that £1.3 million has been paid out in no win no fee claims, due to injuries from paths.
Norman Baker MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, commented that part of the problems is that councils lack the willingness to do something about the issue:
“Although some councils are investing heavily to improve their footways, others seem content to almost ignore pedestrians entirely. Too many councils seem interested only in motorists and not those who walk, cycle or take the bus.
“It appears that some councils seem to be making the cynical calculation that they can afford to pay out compensation rather than invest in improving pavements. This could prove to be a costly mistake if pavements are allowed to deteriorate too far.”
Updated on 14/09/2009