The Leveller Of All Men

So I was out with my wife the other morning and we’d taken a lovely walk into town. It was a really fresh morning for the summer but I like the breeze in my face on a morning stroll. When we arrived I was feeling a bit peckish so I suggested breakfast at McDonalds, but Sal wasn’t having any of it – she was here to shop but sent me on my way and suggested we meet up in an hour.

As I got in line (or queued up as you say here) for my breakfast I realised how McDonalds is a leveller. It doesn’t matter what walk of life you’re from if your hungry or want a morning tea or coffee then McDonalds is there for you, they don’t discriminate against any walk of life.

In the queue were 2 policemen, a roguish looking man who looked shady to say the least (but who am I to judge?), a very smartly dressed man in a suit worth hundreds of pounds (if not more), 2 lads dressed in basketball kit, and me. It occurred to me that I could think of no other scenario in the world where we’d all be stood together. Maybe in court I suppose, the police as prosecution witnesses, the rogue was the man on trial, the smartly dressed man the barrister but why were the basketball players there? OK, I couldn’t think of another scenario where we’d all be together again.

I sat down with my breakfast and poured the milk in to my coffee and decided to watch as people arrived through the front door.

Builders were popular as there were some roadworks just outside in the main street and bus drivers who were finishing their early morning runs. Then there was a group of school aged kids, all well behaved and even held the door open for a lady who looked like she spent the night, or a fair few nights, sleeping rough (she actually came round and asked everyone for their free coffee sticker).

I tried to imagine where in the world would this group of people share a meal together and couldn’t come up with a damn thing! McDonalds is comfortable and probably unhealthy but it’s also quick and tasty and suitable for everyone.

Then I watched one of the kids blow the paper off his straw and refuse to pick it up when one of the staff asked him to. The rest of the group laughed at the poor girl who was probably not much older than the rude boy. They stopped laughing when one of the the policeman who had seen the same as me stepped up and came towards them. He didn’t say anything but the paper was picked up and taken to the bin without a word from anyone!

G Macs final thought

Until the rudeness occurred I was lost in the moment thinking that I wish more of life was like this. Maybe one day, just maybe…

Evidence Is King

I’ve been asked recently by a friend of Sals what makes a good claim for personal injury compensation and I thought that’d be obvious to most people but realized that it’s probably not as clear cut as I thought.

The key thing, when trying to claim compensation for a personal injury is evidence. It’s very easy to appoint a lawyer or solicitor, explain your situation and then put in a claim and then to get turned away because you’ve got no evidence of anything ever happening. That’s not to say it didn’t happen but any lawyer or company dealing with your claim will want evidence before paying anything out.

It’s always difficult to try and discipline yourself at the time of an accident as you’re likely to be in pain and worried about damage to you and your property but any evidence you can gather at the time of the incident helps. So what evidence is good evidence?

Photographs of the location of the accident

If you’re able to then get a photo of the scene of the accident with everything as it is after the accident. This will show the position of items after the accident for investigators to show where things ended up. If you’re not able to take a photo at the time then go back as soon as you can and photograph the scene so that you can explain what happened. In the case of a workplace accident make a note of anything you believe has changed since the accident.

Photographs need to be clear and in context. There’s no point showing a pothole in the road if that’s all you can see, take a second photo from distance and highlight the pothole. The same is true in road traffic accidents. If you take a photo of the damage to the back of your car then take a second one further back from the scene that shows your car and the other offending vehicle (try to include number plates in the photo too).

Photograph your injuries

This can be a key document to use as evidence. Try to get photographs at the time and then more photographs over time to show how the injury has changed as the days and weeks go on.

Written reports

If the police attended the scene then ask for a copy of their report. It’ll contain independent and unbiased information on what happened. If you attended the doctors or the hospital then your medical records can be used as evidence including any x-rays showing your injuries at the time you visited.

Witness reports

If anyone saw what happened at the time of your accident then ask them for their details (name and telephone number is probably enough at the time). If you’re thinking of making a claim for compensation then ask them to write down what they saw, don’t try to influence them but ask them to state what they saw and if possible plot their position on a diagram of the scene.

If it’s a road traffic accident then show where their car was in relation to yours or for a work place accident draw a plan and show where they were placed in relation to you.

Those are the pieces of evidence I would be looking at before taking on a case, but what else? If you’re going to keep a diary I’d recommend you record:

  • What happened leading up to the accident (time of day, road conditions and weather conditions in the case of road accidents or what task you were doing in the event of a workplace accident)
  • What happened after the accident. Who did you speak to and when, who helped you and when? If you’ve needed help in the time after an accident then how long for? Who helped? When did they help you?

Other things I’d want to see to make a full claim would include any letters you receive from the other party (these should always be kept), any dash-cam recordings, any admissions of guilt and any expenses. Out of pocket expenses should be recorded and receipts provided as these are a key part of any claim. Medical costs, traveling costs and other peoples costs as well.

G Macs final thought

I know it’s not the first thing you’ll think of when you have an accident but I’ll say it again, “evidence is king” and if you can gather as much as possible at the time the accident happens then you’ll make your claim easier for your lawyer and they will be able to obtain the best possible amount of compensation.

At the end of the day if someone has done something wrong to you then it’s right that you should be compensated.

Thanks,

G Mac.

Stopping Cold Calls

Following on from my previous post I thought I would look into what can be done to stop cold calls, whether they’re from personal injury related companies or any other of the little blighters. Then I thought I might as well make a new “informational” post on the topic, so here it is.

Number 1 on the list is the Telephone Preference Service.

If you register your phone number with the telephone preference service then you should not receive unsolicited calls from companies based in the United Kingdom, and t does not cost anything for you to register with them.

You can go to their website here for more details and to register if you wish to do so.

Take note though that the telephone preference service does not stop junk calls that you might have opted to receive when you were filling out some form or another.

Number 2 is to have an unlisted phone number.

You can request that your name and phone number be excluded from telephone directories. Some cold calling companies use these directories to locate phone numbers so if your numbers not listed then it’ll be harder for them to get hold of your number.

Number 3 is to get Caller Identification on your Phone.

If you have caller identification on your phone then you can screen your calls as they come in. Cold callers trying to call you will show up on the caller ID equipment as an unknown name, or private number. Do not answer those calls that do not display the name and number of the person calling you.

Number 4 is to get an Answering Machine

If you have an answering machine you can also screen your calls. The majority of legitimate callers will leave a message for you on an answering machine. If you are close enough to the phone you can even interrupt the machine and go ahead with the call if it is someone you wish to speak with, or ignore it if it’s the mother-in-law.

Number 5 is Call Blocking

If you do not have a phone that has call blocking capabilities on it there are services you can subscribe to that will block unwanted calls for you. CPR call blocker plugs into your home phone and allow you to know who is calling before you answer the phone, and you can even get a CPR app for certain cell phones as well. Bonus!

You can also get TrueCall Call Blocker and use it in the same way.

Number 6 is to report the calls!

If you are receiving unwanted cold calls you can report the callers to the TPS. The TPS will investigate your allegation of cold calls and they will make reports to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This is especially useful against the cold caller companies that call repeatedly.

If you think the caller is trying to run a scam you can visit the Action Fraud website and make your own report. Or give them a call on 0300-123-2040.

If you are getting silent calls or other nuisance calls you can also make a report to the company that provides your phone services.

G Macs final thought

Well that’s it for today folks. But before I go, Sal and I are out for dinner tonight so whatever yall fine people are up to tonight, have fun.

Thanks,

G Mac.