Personal injury solicitor news
30/01/2008
VWF decision comes in for criticism

A leading personal injury solicitor has criticised a recent High Court decision that has left many miners suffering from VWF in a state of confusion about their entitlement to receive work injury compensation.

Central to the personal injury solicitor's criticisms are accusations that the Government facility responsible for overseeing Vibration White Finger claims, the British Coal VWF Claims Handling Arrangement, is being too flippant in its dismissal of many valid claims made by elderly miners with the condition.

He added that the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform should be allowing prospective claimants to progress their claims through the courts.

Unfortunately, this is now an unlikely prospect for many as the High Court have only just ruled that claims already disputed by the Claims Handling Arrangement (CHA) cannot be contested in the courts.

In effect, this means that claimants who have been denied by the CHA will have to restart the whole dispute process by beginning new civil claims, an often difficult and lengthy prospect that may well not be a viable option for some older VWF sufferers.

The personal injury solicitor commented, "The High Court has effectively washed its hands of cases under the CHA that are disputed and we are incredibly disappointed with this decision. Many elderly former miners have waited years to be compensated for their condition and this is a final kick in the teeth for them. We are considering an appeal against the High court's ruling."