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It's Time to Finally Lay the "Compensation Culture" Myth to Rest
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.
(PRWEB) December 14, 2004 -- 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 partys 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 Logans 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."
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.
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 Scotlands 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 link: http://www.frazercoogans.co.uk/compensation_culture.html
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