Don't underestimate children's ingenuity in personal injury claims

A 2000 personal injury claim in which a teenaged boy was crushed by a boat has proved to be significant in subsequent law, not least for the judge's declaration that "the ingenuity of children in finding unexpected ways of doing mischief to themselves should never be underestimated".

The boat in question had been abandoned on council land in Surrey, where it had begun to rot and decay, and the boy and a friend had decided to attempt to repair and repaint the vessel. As part of this task, they jacked the boat to a height of two and a half feet. The accident injury occurred when the boat became loose and fell on the boy, breaking his back and causing him to become paraplegic.

The council accepted that it had been negligent in not removing the boat faster, but argued that the boys' decision to jack the boat to a height from which it could fall dangerously was unforeseeable and should not count as council negligence.

The judge, however, held that while the specific method of receiving the personal injury may have been unforeseeable, the type of injury could have been predicted and guarded against. The case went to appeal, and to the House of Lords, but the original judgment was ultimately upheld.

It is in cases such as this, where complex and conflicting understandings of many small details must be compared and fought for, that the benefits of a personal injury solicitor are most apparent - as are the benefits of a no win, no fee agreement in what would otherwise be a long and expensive piece of work.

Finding the right solicitor for your personal injury claim
Whatever the source of your personal injury, if you feel it was not your fault then we may be able to help you fight for deserved compensation. Our panel of no win, no fee solicitors includes experts in every field of the law, so we are bound to have the specialist you would need.

All of our experts are drawn from UK-based firms that are governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, a branch of the Law Society. This means that you can rely on our professionalism - especially when coupled with our excellent success rate.

You can also rely on the fact we will not take a cut of any damages you win, under our 100 percent compensation guarantee. In fact, in all but complex medical negligence cases, you can expect a claim to be handled on an entirely free basis, whether you win or lose.

Call us today for more information on making a personal injury claim, or to get yours underway. Our free UK hotline is 0800 10 757 95, and our website lets you reach us through echat or through our claim form, which lets you tell us when to call you back. We'll strive to assist you get the compensation you deserve.