Sofa compensation claims
Accident claim legal firm First Personal Injury has been snowed under with enquiries from people affected by injuries from a batch of problem leather sofas.
The company is already dealing with many claims from the public since the sofa problems arose in 2007.
Now they have a team of dedicated lawyers dealing with enquiries from people who believe they may have suffered injuries and skin problems following the purchase of the sofas.
The sofas are believed to contain a fungicide sachet inside the sofa which is designed to prevent mould.
When someone sits on the sofa, the chemical is heated by the body heat and vaporises - often causing blistering, burns, rashes and intense itching.
Michael Jefferies, Managing Partner at First Personal Injury, said: "We have been dealing with callers wanting to know if they can claim personal injury compensation since this story hit the headlines back in 2007 but since the One Show programme and update on the cause of the skin problems calls are now coming in faster as people realize that the injuries they have suffered are serious and compensation can be claimed. Many have experienced a lot of discomfort, time off work and even hospitalization."
One affected caller was Ann Brookes of Gravesend in Kent. She purchased a reclining chair, a three seater sofa and two seater sofa from a leading retailer and found that after purchasing the suite she developed an itchy rash. She thought she had been bitten by something and went to the doctors when the rash didn't clear up. The doctor prescribed penicillin but this had no affect and after a few days the rash got much worse resulting in Ann being hospitalized. Ann then saw the Watchdog programme and contacted ourselves to see if we could help. Ann is now pursuing a compensation claim for her suffering and injuries.
Our advice to the general public is that they need to be aware of the dangers as they might not have a reaction straight away. Anybody who does have a reaction should, if possible, take photographic evidence to back up their case. A personal injury claims specialist could even pursue a claim for you if you have been to visit somebody and been affected by their sofa.
Obviously the compensation claim will be dependent on the severity of the symptoms, which reportedly vary from mild to very painful and severe."
If you have purchased or own one of these suspect leather sofa, or maybe visited a friend or family's home and came into contact with these sofas, and have been suffering injuries or severe skin rashes then you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation against the manufacturer or the person who sold it to you.
As there are TIME LIMITS in place for bringing a claim, First Personal Injury advise those who think they may be affected to contact a personal injury lawyer like themselves immediately. First Personal Injury can be contacted on FREEPHONE 0800 014 1629