Scottish accident claim news
06/10/2010

Prison claim branded "spurious"

A Scottish accident claim is causing controversy, with members of the Scottish Parliament branding it "spurious".

The Scottish accident claim in question centres around events that led to a now deceased prisoner falling off the toilet while in prison in 2004 for gun offences.

Although he is now dead, having died from a heroin overdose in 2009, his family are still hoping to secure a payout of £100,000 and say that it is only right that the man's children receive compensation for the accident, which, they claim, caused the deceased man severe headaches and dizziness and forced him to turn down well-paid work as an HGV driver.

Personal injury lawyers representing the family allege that the prison breached its duty of care by failing to ensure that a support rail was secure; it gave way, causing the man to suffer injuries.

However, liability for the Scottish accident claim is being fiercely contested. It has also attracted the attention of Scottish Parliament members, with one commenting, "This appears to be a completely spurious claim, and one that the Scottish Prison Service should defend vigorously."

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