UK’s most dangerous sporting activities

Brits are a nation of sports lovers.  Whether it is watching a game of football on the TV or participating in one of the hundreds of different games played across the nation every Saturday and Sunday, we are addicted to the excitement of a great match.

Although most games are incident free, personal injuries can occur and sometimes these can be serious.  So which sports are the most likely to cause trauma?  Here is a list of the top five sporting activities most likely to see you visiting the Accident and Emergency department of your local hospital.

Cheerleading

Figures released by the Department of Education in 2010 showed that 37% of British schools now offer Cheerleading as part of their physical education curriculum.  Although some may perceive this sport as fluffy, competitive cheerleading is one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

It is also highly skilled and very dangerous.  According to research from the United States, 66% of catastrophic sporting injuries (meaning injuries resulting in permanent disabilities or medical issues) amongst females are caused by cheerleading, making it by far the most dangerous sport for women.

Rugby

In 2010 the Edinburgh University’s Centre for International Public Health Policy, released findings of a study concerning 193 rugby matches at five schools between January and April 2009.  The matches resulted in 37 injuries, of which 20 were seen at A&E and one resulted in an overnight stay in hospital for a spinal injury.  One of the study’s authors, Professor Allyson Pollock, called for the banning of high tackles and scrums in rugby played at junior level because of the high risk of injury.

At premiership level, in the 2008/09 season, 769 match injuries were reported, which is an average of two injuries per club per match.

The most common type of injury sustained in rugby is concussion.  In 2012, research from the United States found that former National Football League (NFL) players had higher incidences of early onset dementia. The link between later cognitive problems and multiple-concussions was inconclusive. However, genetics and sub-concussive injuries may play a part in the onset of cerebral problems.  In November 2013 the British Rugby Football Union set up a working group to examine the link between multiple concussions and dementia to further investigate the issue.

Motorbike Racing

The Isle of Man TT race has claimed 240 lives in its 106 history.  It is without a doubt the most dangerous race on the planet.

Motorbike racing is a very injury prone sport, because let’s face it, if you hit the ground at 200mph the chances of you receiving a serious injury is high and there is very little you can do to prevent it.  However, many participants say the extreme danger is just part of the thrill.

Cycling

This may surprise you but cycling is one the most dangerous sports you can participate in.  Each year thousands of cyclists are injured on British roads and in 2012 over one hundred cyclists lost their lives.  You can read about how cyclists can stay safe on the road here.

Cave Diving

Officially the most dangerous sport in the world cave diving is considered so risky that many articles have been written examining the psychological effects of this incredibly dangerous activity.

One of the reasons this sport is so perilous is that even years of experience can count for nothing if you find yourself in difficulties.  In dark, enclosed spaces a person’s vulnerability to panic, anxiety and disorientation is amplified to an extreme degree and it becomes very easy to make disastrous mistakes. There is no light, limited oxygen and your exit route can be cut off in an instant.  This is not a sport for the faint of heart.

If you have been involved in a sporting injury, you may be able to make a claim. To take the first step, call Injury Lawyers 4U on 0333 400 4445 today, or fill in this form to arrange a call-back.

The Great British Pothole Problem

What do you get if you mix together a recession and a few years’ of cold, wet winters? The answer is potholes, and they are becoming an increasing cause of personal injury and sometimes even death on British roads.

So why are potholes becoming such a growing issue? What hazards do they cause to road users, and what can you do if you suffer a personal injury caused by a pothole and wish to make a claim?

Increasing on Britain’s roads

Potholes are caused by a combination of sun, cold, rain and vehicles. The constant stress of traffic and sun beating down on a road, over time causes the asphalt to crack, which in turn allows snow and rainwater to enter into the cracks and mix with the gravel and dirt underneath. The water then freezes, causing the cracks to expand, pushing out some of the gravel and dirt from under the asphalt. When the ice melts this leaves a hole, which grows bigger as traffic continuously drives over the rupture, fatiguing and straining the affected area even further.

However, Britain has just experienced a mild winter hasn’t it? Yes, we may have experienced moderate temperatures, but the winter of 2013/14 has been officially confirmed as the wettest on record. Unfortunately, even when the climate is relatively warm, excessive rainfall and flooding can eat away at the roads, causing potholes and other types of damage. Couple this with cuts to council budgets allocated to road repairs and it is clear why personal injuries caused by potholes are on the increase.

Personal Injury

Thousands of people suffer vehicle damage caused by potholes every year. However, potholes also contribute many instances of injury and even death on our roads, with cyclists and motorcyclists being particularly vulnerable. According to cycling charity groups, more than 1000 cyclists are injured every year due to unrepaired potholes.

Just a few weeks ago, a coroner investigating the death of a cyclist in North Yorkshire in 2011 ruled that in his mind, “there was no doubt whatsoever the condition of the road on that occasion was the cause of the accident”. The cyclist had been taking part in a fundraising event when his bike hit a deep pothole and he was thrown into the path of an oncoming car and killed instantly.

If you are injured and you believe your injury was caused by pothole in the road, it is important to take the following steps. This will help you make a personal injury claim against the council responsible for the maintenance of the road where the accident occurred:

•  Take a photograph of the road and the pothole itself. Try to show a sense of scale in the photograph by placing a ruler or tape measure inside the pothole to illustrate its depth.
•  Measure the pothole’s dimensions, its position (i.e. is it close to the kerb) and note any other defects in the road.
•  Take photographs of your injuries and any damage to your vehicle or bike.
•  Report the incident to your local council.

Local authorities are aware of the dangers of potholes and most make every attempt to fix them as soon as they are discovered or reported. However, always take special care when you encounter one on the road, especially if you are riding a motorbike or a bicycle. It is also important to report the pothole to your local authority to prevent others from sustaining nasty injuries if they fail to see the hazard.

What To Do If You Have An Accident

It has been an extremely sobering experience reading the recent news coverage of the new report into the failings surrounding the response to the Hillsborough disaster a quarter of a century ago. Even 25 years later, the grief and loss suffered by those relatives and friends of the 96 piece who died is a raw reminder that when disaster strikes it is most often sudden, unexpected and has a lasting impact.

The fact that the victims were people going about a regular part of their routine, in this case going to watch a football match, brings it into even sharper focus that nobody expects an accident to happen. Even the most simple and seemingly safe pastimes can have shocking consequences in cases where something goes drastically wrong.

Of course this particular story is newsworthy for many varied and different reasons and the search for justice for the victims whose names were besmirched in the subsequent enquiries has been a long and draining struggle for those involved.

However, even the most simple and straightforward everyday accident such as a mishap in the workplace, a collision on the road or a slip or fall in a public place can lead to a situation that adds stress and complications.

If you suffer an illness or injury brought on by an incident of some kind that is not your fault and where the blame may lie with a third party through their own actions or negligence, you may well find that you have grounds to claim financial compensation.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that any accident injury or subsequent related illness will provide the basis for a successful claim but in many cases there is either an insurance policy in place or redress available through the court system.

This is an extremely complex and detailed area of law however, and it is often very difficult for the layman or woman to successfully navigate all the procedures that are involved on their own behalf. Apart from this, taking on such work is often the last thing that anyone who is recovering from an accident needs to do; especially when their time could be put to much better use by ensuring their recuperation.

So the best course of action to take if you feel that you might have the basis for a successful claim is to contact a firm of specialist lawyers who work exclusively in that particular area. Most general ‘claims companies’ take on a wide range of different insurance related work and as such do not have the specific skills that could make the difference to winning or losing your own unique case.

Obviously the very last thing people like to think of they go about their daily business is the possibility that they may be unlucky enough to suffer an accident. If the worst comes to the worst, it is well worth knowing what actions you can subsequently take to make sure things move forward in your own best interests.