A motorist has dropped his £900,000 road traffic accident claim after it was revealed he was exaggerating his injuries.

Gavin Laurenson was involved in a head-on car crash at high speed. The driver of the other vehicle was an off-duty soldier, and hence Mr Laurenson made a compensation claim against him and the Ministry of Defence itself. He was claiming £400,000 in compensation and a further £472,000 for loss of earnings. He alleged that he suffered neck injuries and that he still suffered from pains in the chest seven years after the incident. He also claimed issues with his posture and manoeuvrability which were severely questioned by evidence presented at court.

Under-cover surveillance had captured footage of Mr Laurenson running up and down stairs and working in a house. This work involved lifting and repeatedly bending over. He was captured loading 3ft by 2 ft tiling blocks onto the bottom of a ladder.

The judge in the case called Mr Laurenson’s claim “uncreditworthy” with “bizarre symptoms”. However he concluded that medical records did prove a significant whiplash injury had occurred at the time of the accident and awarded Gavin £13,000.

A biker from Ely is making a motorcycle accident claim after his right leg was shattered in a motorbike crash with a tractor.

Nicholas Goad was driving his 1,000cc motorbike in Little Downham back in the summer of 2006 when the incident occurred. He was travelling down Ely road when a tractor was heading in the opposite direction. The tractor swiftly made a right turn across the path of Mr Goad’s motorcycle and the two collided.

The case is at London’s High Court this week as they try to decide who is liable for the incident. Mr Goad and his legal team claim that the tractor turned right when it was unsafe to do so and did not stop before turning. The tractor driver Peter Butcher claims that the motorcyclist was not in sight when he started the right turn and hence is not liable for the accident.

The accident left Mr Goad with a severe leg fracture which leaves him with chronic pain and at risk of osteomyelitis, a bone infection. If he is successful in proving liability then he will be in line for a high compensation payout from the insurers of Mr Butcher’s tractor.

Scottish teenager Jennifer Blyth was knocked over by a taxi when she was just 8 years old. Now ten years on, the teenager form Kirkcaldy has received the taxi accident compensation she deserves.

The accident happened in August 2000 when she was walking around the town, and a taxi from the Apple Cabs firm knocked her down. She suffered devastating injuries that will affect her for the rest of her life, including brain damage and a fractured skull.

Although her lawyers were hoping to achieve in the region of one and a half million pounds compensation for Ms Blythe, the figure is thought to be a little less than that. She has suffered memory loss from the accident and can not go out without someone being with her. The compensation awarded was a high amount, due to the extent of her injuries and the lasting effect they will have on her for the rest of her life.

The money will be used to help Jennifer live as independently as possible and takes into account the effect the accident has had on her employment prospects. The money will also pay for the support which aids her rehabilitation.

It has just been revealed that Midlands Police forces faced a hefty car accident compensation bill for crashes last year. They paid out a whopping £1 million pounds after incidents involving their vehicles. In total, these incidents totalled up to 6,044 in number, with the police accepting liability for over 2,000 of these. All of these episodes happened in the period from January 2008 to December 2009.

The West Midlands Police force proved to be the most accident prone of all the Midlands forces, being responsible for half of the accidents in which the police were held liable. They were also responsible for nearly £600,000 of the £1,000,000 paid out in car accident compensation for injuries suffered. A spokesman for the force defended the figures by pointing out that West Midlands Police had more vehicles than all the other regional forces combined. He also confirmed that all police drivers were trained to an advanced level and that everything possible was done to reduce accident numbers. However, the methods needed in responding to emergencies meant that some crashes were inevitable.

The family of a couple were were killed when they were hit by a truck are seeking pedestrian accident compensation.

British couple Arthur and Winnifred Wilkinson were struck as they crossed a busy highway in Arizona. The couple – 81 and 75 years old respectively – were holidaying in the town of Tombstone back in October 2009. The country and western fans – known as Mick and Sylvia to their friends – were known in the town as they had visited annually since 2002 when they had got married. They were attending the Helldorado festival, a celevration of the OK Corral gunfight and had been seen having fun at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon hours before the tragic accident.

Five people have died crossing the same Highway 80 wghere the incident occureed, and there have been repeated calls for traffic control in the area to increase safety. The State of Arizona has failed to implement such controls and improve the safety record.

Members of the Wilkinson’s family have used the help of lawyers in the US to give intention that they are going to make a pedestrian accident compensation claim. Where as in the UK there is a 3 year deadline for making compensation claims after an accident, in the USA notice of making a claim has to be given within 180 days. The family claim that the State of Arizona is liable for the accident after neglecting to implement road safety features.

A couple who were hit head-on by a drunk driver on the M69 are making a motorway accident compensation claim.

Pramod and Jasvanti Thakkar were travelling down the M69 in April 2007 when their Mercedes car was hit head on by an Audi driven by Neil Brotherson. Mr Brotherson was driving the wrong way along the motorway after consuming copious amounts of alcohol. He was later convicted of dangerous driving and driving under the influence. He is now being taken to court by the Thakkar’s as they seek compensation for the effect the accident has had on their lives.

The writ presented to the High Court alleges that the Thakkar’s have been “badly affected” by the crash. Mrs Thakkar injured her shoulder and arm in the incident causing her to have a significant period off work. She also suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. Mr Thakkar has been unable to play golf since the accident due to injuries to his head and neck and hence are making a motorway accident compensation claim.

They claim Mr Brotherson was negligent in his actions causing them to suffer injury. The writ explains how they see him as negligent for driving the wrong way down a motorway, and failing to see or concentrate fully due to the influence of alcohol.

A man who deliberately crashed to make car accident claims has been sentenced to two years in jail.

Abdullah Ahmed pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud after admitting he was part of a gang which tried to operate a ‘crash for cash’ scam. The cars used in the scam would brake suddenly while entering roundabouts and allegedly had no brake lights. After a car hit them from behind, they would claim for whiplash injuries off of the other drivers’ insurance company.

The scam – which was operating back in 2005 – was only foiled after staff at an office situated on the Eden Point roundabout on the A34 in Cheadle, Cheshire became suspicious. They noticed a large number of similar crashes at slow speeds and became aware that the same man was involved. An investigation then ensued by the insurance fraud bureau which uncovered the extent of the car accident claim scam.

Previously, three other members of the scam had been given community service orders after admitting the parts they played. Another driver of the cars Mohammed Patel, had been previously sentenced to four and half years in prison.

The victim of a record car crash has been awarded a record £11 million pounds in passenger injury compensation.

Wasim Mohammed suffered serious neck and spinal injuries in the crash back in the summer of 2006. The smash has left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, with complete paralysis in his legs and little function in his arms. This has quite obviously left Mr Mohammed needing round-the-clock care for the rest of his life.

He received a compensation settlement for his injuries this week before the case went to court. His payout is thought to be the highest for a personal injury case in the UK. He received a payment of four and a quarter million pounds with additional annual payments of £235,000.

The accident happened when Mr Mohammed was the passenger in a friends’ car. The car was trying to overtake another vehicle at a junction. While completing the manoeuvre at 40-50mph – in a 30mph zone – the other vehicle tried to turn right, forcing the overtaking car into a wall. Mr Mohammed’s friend was later convicted of careless driving.

Mr Mohammed spoke of his delight at the passenger injury compensation success; “I am pleased the case is over. I am very grateful to all those who have helped me since my injury.”

He has already built a house across the road from his family home. This is so that he can have family nearby while he receives the specialist care that he needs.

The families of two British holiday makers killed by a hit and run driver in Florida are battling to receive road traffic accident compensation. A US citizen – son of a famous stateside businessman – has been charged in regards to their deaths, and is the target of their accident claim.

Kenneth Watkinson and Craig Elford were killed when they were hit by a Porsche 911 which mounted a pavement in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. American Ryan LeVin was allegedly the driver of that vehicle and has just been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and fleeing the scene of a death. Mr LeVin is the heir to the successful jewellery business, Jewels of Park Lane, run by his mother and father.

The Porsche 911 was caught on camera speeding moments before the accident. It was later found abandoned after failing to be caught by police in a 100mph chase. Mr Levin has a history of motoring offences and drug problems.

As well as the legal charges recently announced against Mr LeVin, the widow and three children of Mr Watkinson have launched a claim for compensation against him. It is reported that Mr LeVin’s Porsche 911 GT2 mounted the kerb struck the walking holiday makers and sped off. If he is found guilty, each charge of vehicular homicide carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Mr Elford leaves behind two daughters aged three and one, and his family have also launched a bid for road traffic accident compensation.

Mayor of London – Boris Johnson – is considering allowing cyclists to jump red lights in a bid to improve road safety. Although the idea seems paradoxical, the new rules look set to be introduced to reduce cyclist fatalities on London’s streets and cut road accident claims.

The capital’s cyclists would of course only be allowed to turn left through red traffic lights and then only with due consideration to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. At the moment any cyclist jumping a red light is liable to receive a £30 fixed penalty fine.

The new idea is intended to let cyclists get ahead of traffic such as HGV vehicles. These heavy goods vehicles are responsible for over half of the fatal cycle accidents in London every year, with up to 8 cyclists killed in incidents with HGV vehicles in 2009 alone.

Only last September, 26 year old cyclist Chrsytelle Brown was crushed to death by a HGV Vehicle as she commuted to work. The accident happened at a junction in Whitechapel when she was caught between a temporary fence and the HGV, whose driver had not seen her. She was dragged for 100 metres under the lorry.

Mr Johnson is starting a Cycle Safety Action Plan, working with the HGV industry to discover ways to increase the safety of cyclists. There were over 10,000 accidents involving cyclists serious enough to be reported to the police in the UK in 2008. Many of these result in personal injury compensation being awarded to the cyclist.