The 'compensation culture', voluntary groups and personal injury claims

It is a suggestion sometimes made that a compensation culture that encourages every possible personal injury claim, no matter how inappropriate, is causing the death of voluntary movements as insurance costs are forced up. Often, what causes the comment is a story about the latest accident to have occurred on a Scout camp or at a youth club.

Recent years' falling membership figures for the Scouts would seem to back this idea up, but the 2006-7 report makes a point of the figures that show this trend has been reversed. Even before this, the personal injury stories in the news featuring various voluntary groups showed that, despite a decline, these organisations still had a committed membership.

While this is good news for fans of growing up with camp fires and canvas, it does not directly address the point about a compensation culture. While some events are cancelled because people fear a personal injury claim, this is often an overreaction. As long as voluntary organisations work with due care of their charges, they should not have anything to fear from unwarranted personal injury claims.

Groups that do not fulfil a duty of care toward their members, however, are open to personal injury claims. A group leader who instructs a group of inexperienced teenagers to start a fire and does not observe them as they do so, for example, may well be held responsible for any resulting injuries.

Personal injury claims
The laws that cover these kinds of personal injury cases do not aim to stop the activities, but to have them continue safely, and to give redress if sensible precautions are not taken.

This means that suffering a personal injury is, by itself, not enough to justify a claim, but if your injury is one that could have been prevented, you may be eligible to claim for compensation against the voluntary group's insurance company.

YouClaim can help you decide whether or not you are entitled to compensation, and, should you wish to proceed, can also help you to find the right personal injury solicitor to take a no win, no fee claim forward for your case. Each of the law firms we work with is governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, ensuring our standards are high, and all ensure you receive 100% compensation in a successful case.

To contact YouClaim about your eligibility for personal injury compensation, simply ring 0800 10 757 95 or ask an advisor to call you directly by filling in our call-back form. You can also reach our team through our e-chat service and speak to us onscreen.