Personal injury compensation and the oil painting from hell

02/07/2009


In the week that pop fans mourned the loss of 'Wacko Jacko' we heard in our personal injury solicitor's office of a client who, some years earlier, spent her whiplash compensation on a piece of Michael Jackson memorabilia and was now looking forward to seeing its value rise as a result of the pop star's untimely passing.

It was a rare LP from Jacko's back catalogue and the fan, who had suffered unnecessarily in a car accident as a result of someone else's negligence, decided to treat herself when the no win no fee compensation payout cheque came through the post.

It set the personal injury workers in the office thinking and we had a quick straw poll of what we would do with a modest no win no fee compensation payout, provided we did not need it for treatment, or to cover the cost of loss of earnings, and found out what sort of memorabilia we would buy?

Film and TV collectibles proved popular; particularly items that seemed to have significance in the realms of personal injury.

A replica model of the black knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail was what one IT worker had a penchant to purchase – complete with three severed limbs that the blurb told us could be torn off to reveal the bloody stumps, it also has an integrated voice box that shouts, "T'is but a scratch!"

One desired object was a Star Wars light sabre – not the kind you get from 99p shops that have a very tinny "vruuum" sound incorporated into their tiny plastic body, but the robust and conceptually accurate type sought by avid fans and collectors, retailing for around £200 to £300.

Of course the website selling the Jedi weapon-of- choice has all sorts of disclaimers about ‘duelling' with the sabres - suggesting that although you will break a bone or your finger before you break the sabre, any form of swordplay, fencing or duelling is not advised. So, you have been warned if trying to make a product liability claim.

However, our ultimate favourite piece of cult TV memorabilia, and a real investment for the future, would have to be the genuine work of art that is the portrait of Joan ‘The Freak' Ferguson from Prisoner Cell Block H.

Yes, the iconic prison guard has been immortalised in oil on canvas by none other than PCBH star herself, Maggie Millar (AKA Marie Winter) and the resulting thing of beauty has been auctioned off to add funds to The Victorian Bushfire Appeal. For a look at the portrait go to On the Inside – the official fan site, but beware, her eyes really do follow you around the room.

Some people in the office didn't quite understand the rubric, or the term ‘modest', and sought to acquire a "Bond Car – no make that a Bond Girl", and we wish to point out that the purchase of either of these items after receiving compensation via a personal injury solicitor for a whiplash injury would be both foolhardy and possibly dangerous.

Can I claim?