Thompsons

  Are you fortunate enough to have paid off your mortgage? If so, you need to read on. If not, just look at the picture of the cat playing Monopoly… isn’t that something!? You’ve got to be kitten me! So, you’ve finally ma...

    I don’t know what’s more depressing – the thought that one day I’ll no longer be alive, or that 19 minutes have passed without a single comment on my incredibly hilarious Facebook update. Death. It’s the ...

  I am delighted that my colleagues here at Thompsons Solicitors are involved in supporting Will Aid.   Will Aid is an annual charitable Will-Writing scheme designed to remind people of the requirement to have a Will drawn up by a professi...

  The closure of two schools, one in Northern Ireland and the other in Wales, earlier this week due to the discovery of deadly asbestos unfortunately comes as little surprise.   As expert Scottish compensation Solicitors, Thompsons is well aw...

  I was shocked to hear of the latest tactic taken by insurance companies in dealing with claims for compensation by mesothelioma sufferers. The insurers argue that a claim is time-barred if a victim was originally diagnosed with pleural plaques, bu...

Good news from Transport Scotland - the number of people who were injured on the roads in Scotland fell to a record low in 2011. The new statistics reveal that road casualties are 4% lower than in 2010, and include an 11% drop in fatalities over the same ...

  If you have suffered a personal injury as a result of another’s negligence, then you should contact Thompsons Personal Injury Solicitors within three years of the injury.   The Law is outlined in the Prescription and Limitation...

  My friends were aghast recently when they asked me what would happen if I was involved in an road accident that was caused by Mrs Thom.   My wife is an excellent driver with an unblemished record, however, if we were involved in an accid...

Often when people think of compensation claims they think of car crash claims.  Car accident claims make up almost 30% of the claims that I deal with on a daily basis. I guess this makes me an expert car accident compensation Solicitor.  I ...

  I had only just finished reading about how dangerous the farming industry is when I read that a Scottish salmon farming company had been fined £70,000 after a worker drowned at its site at Loch Heather. The worker tragically lost his life...

  I was delighted to hear about the landmark Supreme Court decision which has demanded that insurers finally pay up to sufferers of asbestos-related diseases.  The court rejected a bid by insurance companies to overturn a Scottish law which giv...

  Farming company, GJ Orr, has been fined £112,500 after a worker was crushed to death between the rollers of a potato harvester.  Keth Wannan’s arms and legs were caught in the machine and he was only freed after the harvester was ...

  It has been reported that £15 million in compensation has been paid to some of the relatives of those who tragically lost their lives when the helicopter they were in crashed into the North Sea. When a Super Puma Helicopter crashed in to...

  I was shocked to read recently about a woman who was involved in a terrifying accident at Kirkcaldy train station. The mother of two was trying to get off the train with her husband and two sons when the accident happened.  She stated that...

  I saw that yet another Scottish firm has been fined over the death of a worker.  Whiteinch Demolition Ltd who are based in Bishopbriggs pled guilty to Health and Safety breaches at Glasgow Sheriff Court after Bernard McCarroll died whilst dis...

  They’ve done it again!  My friends at Thompsons Solicitors won two awards on Thursday night at the Law Awards of Scotland- Employment Firm of the Year and Litigation Firm of the Year!  There must have been a few people feeling a...

  I was shocked to read this week that male executives in Scotland’s private sector are paid on average £10,000 more than their female colleagues.  The news reports also claimed that it would take another 75 years for women’s ...

  I was shocked to read in the news that companies are still breaching health and safety regulations and causing needless deaths.  I read that Vion Food was fined £100,000 after a worker was run over and killed by a forklift truck in West...

  I was shocked to read that health and safety failings led to an employee at Lowmac Alloys being crushed between two skips.  The company were rightly fined £80,000 by the Health and Safety Executive but this is an accident that, if all t...

  I saw such an inspirational story today in the papers about an Aberdeen woman, Lorna Harper, who said she feels like the Bionic Woman after doctors practically rebuilt her after a road traffic accident.  The series of operations she received ...

  I was sad to hear that 22 people had to be taken to hospital following a bus crash close to Glasgow airport.   Early in the morning on the A726 Barnesford Road close to Glasgow Airport the bus crashed into a perimeter fence and ended up pe...

  I saw recently that a van driver in Edinburgh ploughed into a woman’s parked car after he had a sneezing fit at the wheel.  Luckily the woman escaped the smash as she was in a café nearby but her car was completely written off by the ac...

  I read in the papers this morning that a woman saved her seven year old grandson from a dog attack when they were out on the beach in Essex.  My first thought was just how brave both the child and the grandmother had been to get through such ...

  No one expects to go through what Danielle Ormond went through a few years ago.  She was working in the Drumtochty Arms in Aberdeenshire when there was a gas explosion and she got buried under the rubble.  Luckily she managed to get out ...

  When you buy cleaning products in the supermarket you don’t expect to be injured by them but I saw recently that that’s exactly what happened to a Malaga housewife and she was recently awarded compensation for the injuries she received...

My friends at Thompsons have been out and about on their bikes to give a better service to cyclists who end up in accidents.  I love getting around on my bike and Mrs Thom and the kids do too but it can sometimes be really pretty dangerous.   ...

  I was sad when I heard the tragic news that an oil worker had suffered fatal injuries and died after falling overboard from a North Sea oil platform. It has been reported that the 37 year old oil worker was working on ropes on a platform opera...

  I was pleased to hear that according to official figures the number of people who sustained injuries in road traffic accidents fell last year. The statistics published are however, only based on incidents, which were reported to the police. Lo...

  I was reading in the papers the other day that a woman has won £28,000 compensation after injuring herself falling in a nightclub. Angela Spalding slipped on a wet dance floor and fell breaking her wrist.  The former chef has been un...

  Some of my friends at Thompsons have signed up for an 8 hour Cycle Commuter Course run by Cycle Scotland.  The course is aimed at providing cyclists, including new and returning bike enthusiasts, with the skills and confidence to tackle every...

  Thank goodness my friends at Thompsons are there to stick up for all the people who have legitimately sustained whiplash injuries and have a right to claim compensation. I feel reassured to know Thompsons are not afraid to take on the big Insuranc...

  Sheriff Principal Brian Lockart has now published his findings following a 141 day fatal accident inquiry into the fire at Rosepark care home in Uddingston, Lanarkshire. Sheriff Principal Lockart found that the fire safety plans at the care hom...

  I read in a newspaper article that last year teachers were awarded £20 million in compensation for accidents and mishaps at work. My thoughts go out to all those teachers who have suffered injuries and losses as a result of accidents and mis...

I punched a red plasticine fist in the air from the back row of the Court of Session  on Tuesday when it was announced that we have won another milestone battle against AXA Insurance & Others in relation to Pleural Plaques.   Pleural plaqu...

  I was saddened to read about two tourists that were killed when a vessel they were sightseeing in flipped over at Iguazu Falls in Argentina.  The driver of the boat and 5 other passengers were seriously injured. The boat, which was owned b...

  Solicitor Stewart White is hoping to help put a smile on the face of third world kids, and honour his late mother’s memory, by running the Paris Marathon on Sunday April 11. Stewart is on course to raise £3,000 for the Smile Train,...

  As a law student working part-time in a major DIY shop, I see firsthand on almost every shift how easy it is to suffer an accident at work. Such accidents can come from practices such as bad forklift operation, climbing the shelving and racking, s...

  We won! ....I have a dream...  Never has so much ..... Ich bin ein berliner ...... The exact words of last night’s victory speech are unknown but what is known is that Thompsons are Firm of the Year 2011.   2 new records h...

  A trip to the gym left Robert Gordon University student Anthony McDavitt feeling anything but fit, after a car reversed out of a parking place and directly into his path. Mr McDavitt sustained a broken wrist, broken teeth, cuts and bruises whe...

  The victims and families that Thompsons represent in the imminent Penrose Inquiry have released a media statement in the wake of Lord Penrose’s decision that their views will not be heard at the Inquiry proper.   The Inquiry, in which...

It's time to celebrate! Today is International Women’s Day! Some of my friends from Thompsons were at the Scottish Parliament on Saturday at the Scottish Women’s Convention Conference.  Thompsons sponsored the Evening Reception which cele...

  Hurrah! At last the Damages (Scotland) Bill has been passed and people who have suffered the tragic death of a loved one will no longer have to endure such long and distressing court cases. The Damages (Scotland) Bill, was the bill of Labour MS...

  A Tyneside construction company has been fined after a worker suffered serious injuries following a fall from unsafe scaffolding. The company, Ian Allan Building Contractors Ltd, was prosecuted successfully by the Health and Safety Executive fo...

  I love dogs but unfortunately my friends at Thompsons often have to help out people who have been injured because of a dog bite.  I was pleased to see that new legislation has come into force to close a loophole in the Dangerous Dogs Act. ...

  Last year I was following the story about the research into uncrashable cars.  My friends at Thompsons Solicitors  and I are always interested in ways to increase health and safety and ways of reducing road traffic accidents so I was ple...

  I was very happy to read recently that work to reduce road casualties has seen accident fatality rates fall to their lowest level since records began.  Recent statistics show that Scotland achieved the lowest road accident fatality rates sinc...

  I was pleased to learn that my friends at Thompsons successfully negotiated a £17,000 settlement for an Aberdeen man who was involved in a hit and run incident. The man was socialising with friends in Aberdeen city centre when he was struck ...

  I was very shocked to read that the number of work related deaths in Edinburgh and the Lothians has risen in the past year.  This has led to warnings to employers to take health and safety seriously. The figures that have been released fo...

  I read in the papers that a woman was saved from her car as it filled with water after skidding into a Moray canal.  Christine Rhodes, skidded her car on black ice, hit a verge and crashed down a steep embankment, landing upturned in the free...

  My friends at Thompsons have been involved in the Public Inquiry investigating the deaths of the people who were affected by C-Difficile in the Vale of Leven Hospital.  Following that outbreak several measures were put into place by the gover...

  Repetitive driving injury is a condition that is caused by a poor driving posture which can lead to serious long term muscle, joint and spinal injuries. Repetitive driving injury may include foot cramps, lumbar pain, stiff neck, side ache, and hea...

  It may be a challenge for a cyclist to survive on the road when commuting daily, especially if you live in a big city with busy traffic. In order to avoid a hazardous and potentially fatal bicycle accident a few steps can be followed. Firstly, ...

  One of the things that I love about all of this snow that we have been having is that it allows all of the family to take a trip up north to go skiing.  The three of us love to drive up to Glenshee at the weekend and spend a day out on the sl...

  I was interested to read that a company owned by former Rangers Chairman, Sir David Murray, were recently fined £50,000 after an employee suffered a personal injury. Fifty year old Iain Sutherland was left with a broken right forearm and ...

  My friends at Thompsons have helped a lot of people claim compensation for injuries and losses they have sustained as a result of harmful and deadly bacteria. Thompsons Solicitors see first hand the pain, suffering and loss that harmful bacteria l...

  I was horrified this week to read in the news of an attack on a ten year old girl by a Japanese Akita dog causing her to suffer severe facial wounds requiring over 100 stitches.  The little girl was savagely attacked as she played in the gard...

  I don’t know about you but I am already getting sick and tired of all of this snow.  It is time for our annual family winter holiday to the sun.  Mrs Thom and I have been looking through brochures and are very excited about getting...

  Aberdeen Solicitor Chris Gordon warns drivers that they are legally liable for the consequences if they crash their cars through skidding on snow or ice. Mr Gordon a partner with Thompsons Personal Injury Solicitors based in King St, Aberdeen ...

  Me and my friends at Thompsons are happy to see any initiatives which help reduce the number of road traffic accidents.  This week is Road Safety Week and it is organised by Brake, the road safety charity, but is a community event open to all...

  I was flicking through my motorbike magazine today when I read about Ruth, a fellow biker, who was involved in a nasty motorbike accident that was not her fault.  She suffered an injury to her knee and had to get bone, hamstring and tendon gr...

  My friend Patrick McGuire who is a partner at Thompsons and represents the families of the 18 victims of the Vale of Leven outbreak of C-Diff has slammed Scotland’s “Dirty Dozen” hospitals for failing to meet cleanliness standard...

  Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week was launched earlier this week. Figures from the Health and Safety Executive show that around 20 people lose their life every year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning and many more people suffer personal injury ...

  I was saddened to read in the newspapers about the couple who were attacked by a bull in Nottinghamshire, killing one of them and leaving the other critically ill in hospital. I am not shocked to learn that the farmer, who owns the bull, is equall...

  Some compensation lawyers like to brand themselves “Health and Safety Lawyers”; others prefer the tag ‘civil litigators’.  Others, like larger than life, head of Thompsons Aberdeen office, Chris Gordon likes to be know...

  Passing your driving test and getting a drivers licence serves as a proof that you are competent and knowledgeable to drive a car and participate in the traffic. However, the driving test is fairly basic and does not provide much information when ...

  My friends at Thompsons have backed the family of a solider who was killed when an RAF Nimrod exploded over Afghanistan.  Like many people, I thought that if a soldier was injured, it should be quite straightforward to claim compensation.&nbs...

  In theory bull bars are there to make driving safer for us, yet there has been a lot of discussion as to whether it really is the case.  It is argued that quite a high number of pedestrian deaths and injuries are only increased by cars that h...

No win no fee claims have been in the news an awful lot this week.  Although no win no fee stories are very topical this week and the potential changes that the government want to make might have a huge impact on the law, I think I will talk abou...

My good friend Frank Maguire of Thompsons Solicitors, an expert at winning compensation for clients in personal injury cases, kindly agreed write a post for my blog this week. Here Frank looks beyond the euphoria of the Chilean miners’ rescues to...

  I am of the opinion adverts like the one on the tv which I am in and my family are in provide a route for injured people to secure access to justice.  It is thought Lord Young in his review of the so called “compensation culture&rdq...

  I was moved to tears this week watching footage of the 33 miners who had been trapped underground for 69 days being reunited with their loved ones, their liberty and their country. As someone who deals in health and safety law I was heartened to h...

  Anyone who has ever experienced a serious back problem will be able to tell you how excruciating the back pain can be, how it can affect your mobility, work abilities and how considerabily it can reduce the quality of your life. Around 80% of t...

  Every year around 30 million vehicles travel in Britain and around 10,000 accidents are reported every day. Even though these include minor scrapes, bumps etc, it is still a worrying number and suggests people are not taking all necessary precauti...

  Four years on from the explosion of an RAF Nimrod over Afghanistan that was shown to have been “never airworthy” , the families of the victims secured £15million in civil compensation.   The compensation was paid to family...

  Continuing on my ‘no win no fee compensation’ blogging sabbatical I want to again talk about Politics and Achievements.   As I mentioned last week, my big mate Frank Maguire, Senior Partner here at Thompsons won Solicitor of the...

When I was a young plasticine boy I remember enjoying my Granny Thometta Thompson singing in the kitchen as she baked.  I thought she was probably the best singing pensioner in the world. My opinion was changed last night in a moment of melodic, amusing genius.  Janey Cutler from Wishaw wowed me, the judges and commanded a standing ovation from the crowd while singing Shirley Bassey’s ‘This is my Life’ on the Britain’s got talent semi-final. Janey, from Hamilton, is 81, making her older than Welsh singing legend Bassey….and for my money just as talented! As a result of Janey’s age defying performance I have been humming Bassey tunes all day as I go about my noble duties of winning compensation for the people of Scotland.  I supported her all the way in Saturday’s final hoping she would get to sing in front of the nation's (now second) favourite granny – the Queen, but alas she was pipped at the post by Spellbound, who it has to be said were fantastic and a great inspiration with the Olympics coming up.

  Much of my work in obtaining compensation for victims centres around those with diseases, be it industrial, hospital associated or blood-borne. One of my longer term campaigns is for those who were contaminated with Hepatitis C through defectiv...

I think it is good news that, following compensation payments made to thalidomide survivors in England, the Scottish Government is finding itself under increasing pressure to compensate Scotland’s 55 thalidomiders.   In January the Westmins...

Clydeside Action on Asbestos, pleural plaques victims and Frank Maguire, our Senior Partner at Thompsons Solicitors all welcomed the news that the bid by insurers to block the Scottish Parliament’s new law confirming the right to compensation of victims of pleural plaques has been blocked. Frank said: “This judgement states categorically that the Scottish Parliament was perfectly within its rights to pass this law and that is tremendous news for pleural plaques sufferers. We have an Act of the Scottish Parliament that establishes pleural plaques victims right to compensation and overturns the infamous House of Lords judgement to the contrary. Those responsible should now abide by the law. Thompsons have almost 1,000 pleural plaques cases which have been in limbo while the insurance industry pursued this ill-fated legal action and I now call on them to stop obstructing justice and not to try and put any more barriers in the way of victims seeking compensation. It was also noted that many insurance companies not involved in the court action, as well as the Ministry of Defence and British Shipbuilders, have been holding back on settling pleural plaques cases. They also should now meet their obligations and pay up. Frank went on to say “The Westminster Government should now enact similar legislation for the rest of the UK. It is ironic that pleural plaques sufferers in Gordon Brown’s constituency which includes Rosyth will now be able to claim compensation, but other MOD workers outside Scotland will not.” Suffers often have some form of breathlessness, but the biggest strain is the worry of developing a fatal condition like mesothelioma which happens with frightening regularity. Claimants mainly come from shipyard workers who had to cut asbestos boards – many stating that their employers kept them doing it long after they knew of the dangers telling them to use small blades rather than a buzz saws and to keep dust to a minimum. Out of 150 joiners who worked at the Caledonian joiners only 35 are still alive. The others all dying well before they were 65, most of them from mesothelioma or lung cancer.” This is a great day for the victims and their families.  

  I am familiar with the tragic story of 14 year old Kaylee McIntosh, who died while on an Army Cadet training exercise, Thompsons having represented her family at the Fatal Accident Inquiry. The next stage of the process is now in motion as we h...

I was amazed that it was this week revealed that the UK Government have cited the views of an ‘expert’ who has never met a victim of asbestos related disease, as a reason for delaying their decision on whether pleural plaques sufferers are due compensation in England.

Thanks to a successful campaign by Thompsons, together with trade unions and asbestos charities, the Damages (Asbestos Related Conditions) (Scotland) Act 2009 was passed.  This change in the law meant that victims of pleural plaques in Scotland can pursue compensation for their condition provided they contracted their disease while working for a Scottish company.

I am sad to say that if you live down south the same rights do not exist.

The document relied on, Professor Robert Maynard’s report ‘Medical Aspects of Pleural Plaques’ to support the English point of view has been revealed to be “at best dubious” given that Professor Maynard has no experience in the field of Pleural Plaques!

Jane Howie of the Bradford Asbestos Victim Support Group commented:

“It happens time and time again that professors pretend to know what they are talking about and end up defending the indefensible”

The rights of asbestos victims to compensation is an area I feel very strongly about and I hope our campaigning friends down south get the right result soon.