Edwards Hoyle reveals most bizarre personal injury claims

The firm has been instructed in cases involving an elderly man who was injured when his mobility scooter spontaneously combusted; a woman who was trapped in the doors of a lift for 15 minutes and a smoker who was standing on the balcony partaking in his habit when the ground crashed down beneath him.

Managing partner David Edwards said the list demonstrates that accidents causing serious injury can happen anywhere.
He said: “We wanted to release some of our experiences of the more unusual claims to really highlight how accidents can happen, no matter where you are or what you’re doing.

“Obviously, all resulted in injury and aren’t to be taken lightly, but seeing just how bizarre some of the claims we’ve dealt with for people over the past 12 months show that you really never know when injury could strike.”

The firm’s top ten are:

1) An elderly man was injured when his mobility scooter spontaneously combusted. He had to be dragged free from the flames by witnesses.

2) A woman in the hot tub of her local gym sustained an injury after she was ‘sucked’ into the filter, injuring her back.

3) A man on a scooter was driving out of his local car park, when the barrier ahead of him lowered without warning, knocking him off his scooter.

4) A man was leaving his local chemist when the barrier unexpectedly closed on his head.

5) An elderly woman in her local bingo hall became trapped in elevator doors as she entered the lift. She was stuck for 15 minutes.

6) A man decorating a bathroom in a tenanted property was left hanging through the ceiling when the floorboards beneath him collapsed. The fire brigade were called to free him.

7) A man already injured after a nightclub dancing incident was walking on crutches with his children through the park, when his crutch became trapped in a small hole. He fell over again, injuring his other leg.

8) A woman walking through a restaurant slipped in the large puddle of gravy left on the floor, injuring her back as she hit the ground.

9) A man loading products into the back of a lorry was injured when the driver got in the lorry and drove off, failing to realise that he was in the back. The doors were open and he fell out of the back as the oblivious driver carried on.

10) A man leaning on a Juliette balcony as he had a cigarette fell to ground level when the balcony collapsed.