Reference accident meaning

Motor Insurers Bureau v Houston [2025] EWHC 3178 (KB) What are the practical implications of this case? Although the outcome may catch seasoned credit hire practitioners off guard, it was driven in large part by the precise language of the debarring order in this case. The order confined any future debarring strictly to the question of rate and made no reference to reliance on impecuniosity for the hire period or for any wider purposes; appellant counsel on appeal suggested this flowed from a legacy version of a standard form. Practitioners familiar with credit hire litigation will know that, more often than not, directions orders bar a claimant from reliance on impecuniosity for all purposes following a failure to provide financial disclosure. Even so, the judgment is a clear reminder that the courts will apply the ordinary and natural meaning to the words of any order, and practitioners should take care to verify the exact wording of a debarring order in every case. That is not, however, to suggest the...

PI & Clinical Negligence weekly highlights—9 April 2026 In this issue: Key PI & Clinical Negligence developments Road traffic accidents Psychiatric and occupational stress Public authorities and the state Product liability Scottish claims Other PI and Clinical Negligence news New content LexisNexis® Quantum Portal LexTalk®PI & Clinical Negligence: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts LexisNexis® Webinars Key PI & Clinical Negligence developments Eighteenth edition of the Judicial College Guidelines is published The 18th edition of the Judicial College Guidelines has now been released, following the 17th in 2024. It remains the primary reference for practitioners and courts when assessing general damages in personal injury and clinical negligence claims. The figures have been adjusted for inflation, by reference to the Retail Prices Index as at August 2025. See: LNB News 09/04/2026 4. The latest chapter in Mazur—prayers answered and questions unanswered In Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys...

A personal injuries action stemming from a 2016 road traffic collision has been thrown out by the High Court. In Dalyv Ryans Investments Ltd T/A Hertz [2024] IEHC 703, the judge placed significant weight on the plaintiff’s choice not to call her treating GPs, as well as the GP whose report was submitted to the Personal Injuries Resolution Board (PIAB), to give evidence in reaching its conclusion. Background Liability for the crash was accepted by the defendant, whose car struck the passenger side of the plaintiff’s vehicle at a roundabout. She alleged a right shoulder injury from the impact and said she reported pain to her GP within a few days of the accident. Ongoing symptoms, she contended, culminated in surgery in 2022. The defence maintained the shoulder condition was not caused by the accident, asserting instead that it was unconnected. The medical notes contained no reference to right shoulder symptoms until ten months post‑accident and, thereafter, when that shoulder was being treated, neither a 2017 GP referral...

The nature of the duty owed by bus drivers A bus driver owes the same duty to fellow road users, including passengers, as any other driver: to drive with the reasonable care and skill of a competent motorist. That competence must be evaluated in context, particularly for those operating buses, by reference to: the Highway Code the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency's Official DVSA Guide to Driving Buses and Coaches Only with such a measured assessment of the duty of care can there be a meaningful decision on whether that duty has been breached. The County Court case of Kevin Graham v Go North East Limited (20 November 2017) (not reported by LexisNexis®) illustrates the delicate balance when applying this duty. A defendant bus driver collided with the claimant's vehicle at a crossroads controlled by traffic lights. He proceeded through a changing signal because he believed that not doing so, and braking, would endanger his passengers. The judge recognised the 'split...

This Practice Note summarises the principal legal updates relevant to personal injury and clinical negligence practitioners as at 2 March 2026, aimed at assisting current practice. For earlier developments, see PI and Clinical Negligence horizon scanning and key cases—overview. Key PI & clinical negligence developments Eighteenth edition of the Judicial College Guidelines due The 18th edition of the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) will be released on 9 April 2026. The Lexis+® UK PI & Clinical Negligence team will refresh the JCG link within our Key Resources on the Lexis+® UK PI & Clinical Negligence homepage, together with all connected materials. Law Society publishes practice note on conduct of litigation following Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys Following the High Court’s decision in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB), the Law Society has issued guidance for solicitors, law firms and legal businesses to ensure that only individuals authorised under the Legal Services Act 2007 undertake the conduct of litigation...

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained Keeping abreast of case law that shapes a practitioner’s specialism, or influences civil litigation procedure generally, is a persistent challenge for those working in dispute resolution. This Practice Note distils the leading appeal authorities—decisions of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, and, where relevant, selected judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)—that we have reported, giving users straightforward access to those rulings. Use the table of contents in the left margin to browse, or locate items quickly with [CTRL]+[F]. It also sets out a selection of forthcoming appeals, where known, to aid horizon scanning. The material is not intended to be a comprehensive catalogue of every appeal and/or significant decision for dispute resolution practitioners. Key forthcoming appeal cases—2019 Terminating contracts—frustration Canary Wharf (BP4) T1 Ltd v European Medicines Agency [2019] EWHC 921 (Ch)—Court of Appeal: permission to appeal granted in the lower court...

Dear [ insert expert’s name ] Re: [ insert name of client and the client’s date of birth (address and telephone number should be provided separately for the appointment arrangements) ] Date of accident: [ insert date of accident ] Thank you for consenting to prepare a report in this matter. We represent the above individual regarding injuries sustained in an accident that took place on the date noted above. Documentation To aid the preparation of your report, we enclose the following documents: [ list documents enclosed with instructions eg GP records, ambulance, hospital records, etc ] [ We are in the process of obtaining our client’s GP, ambulance service and hospital notes and records and will send them to you once received. OR We enclose an agreed, indexed and paginated set of notes and records prepared with the Defendants. ] Your instructions We would be grateful if you could examine our client and produce a comprehensive report covering any pertinent pre-accident...

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