Nobody should suffer physically or mentally from the negligence of others. Therefore, it is correct that compensation for physical or mental trauma should be the right of every individual. The law has recognised this since the famous case of May Donahue, who successfully sued Stephenson’s ginger beer makers, of Glasgow for damages way back in 1928.

May Donahue was aghast to find the remains of a snail in a bottle of ginger beer she had purchased and, unfortunately, drunk from. The judge supported her claim advising that the company had a duty of care to its customers and ordered that May Donahue should be awarded compensation for her suffering.

From minor injuries such as whiplash through to the devastating effects of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by the inhalation of asbestos and without any cure, everybody has the right of address.

Fortunately, in the UK are the Torts. In simple laymen’s terms, these are civil wrongs addressed under law and can be categorised as follows:

• Duty of care
• Nuisance
• Defamation
• Economic

These cover all aspects from personal injury through to wrongful dismissal. These laws are there to protect you and ensure that you have proper redress for physical and/or mental trauma you may have suffered due to the negligence of others.

Often suggested, it is not though a compensation culture that exists today in the UK but a realisation that justice can prevail in the event of personal injury as a direct result of other people’s negligence.