We live in a society where personal injury claims are very much part of life.
Every day we are bombarded with information on how to make a claim and hear about people who have successfully, or on some occasions, unsuccessfully made a claim for the injuries they have received.
But we can’t always be sure if cases are genuine or not on first impressions.
Here are 7 of the most bizarre, shocking and interesting cases to have been made in recent times – some more successful than others
- Man pipes up after crash
After a man in Bournemouth trapped more than just his fuel hose on the petrol tank of his motorbike following a road traffic collision, he claimed he suffered what can only be described as erectile dysfunction. His claim was successful and he was awarded £84,000 for his painful and embarrassing injuries.
- Change of fortunes for shopper
While trying on some clothes in a changing room of a department store in Stockport, a security tag fell off a garment and onto the floor. Unaware, the woman shopper stepped on the sharp piece of metal and impaled her big toe. She was awarded £1,750, but decided the dress she was trying on was not for her.
- Worker’s toilet break goes with a bang
A coal company worker thought he would have a crafty cigarette while on the toilet at work. Little did he know there was methane leaking out into the cubicle at the time and the whole building combusted. He won a work injury compensation claim for the sum of 10 million dollars.
- Ghost train, not gravy train
In 1988 a woman visiting Universal Studios in Florida tried to make a claim for “psychological trauma” after getting the fright of her life when on the Haunted House of Horrors ride. The claimant was in for another shock when her claim was dismissed almost instantly.
- Takeaway coffee becomes hot topic
If you’ve ever purchased a cup of coffee and laughed when seeing the “Caution Contents Hot” message, this is all down to a personal injury claim. Following several complaints about the heat of their takeaway coffees, which sometimes got up to as high as 180 degrees, McDonald’s refused to take any action. But when a customer spilt coffee on herself and received serious injuries she put in a claim and was subsequently awarded $2.7 million in damages, which went some way to paying off the $800 it cost her in skin grafts.
- Girl has the bottle to make successful claim
A young girl thought she had grabbed a real bargain when she bought a new hot water bottle for just 99p. Unfortunately for her the cap came loose in the night and scalded her badly. The girl from London received £10,000.
- Boy gets his teeth into failing dentist
When a 10 year old boy attended his dentist for a routine appointment it was his misfortune that a fellow patient, with somewhat less healthy teeth was also there that day. What was more unfortunate was that they both shared the same name. The young lad had four of his healthy teeth removed in the mix up, though he was awarded £8,000 after a successful claim.
