Obiter was not filled with optimism at the prospect of yet another television documentary about personal injury.

The title of the Channel 5 programme, Where There’s Blame There’s a Claim, hardly helped, and conjured up thoughts of the kind of hatchet job not seen since midfield enforcers on football pitches in the 1970s.

But - and you may need to sit down for this - the show was a balanced, fair and informative piece of documentary making.

Sure, the thunder and lightning ident was a little dramatic, while some elements resembled the kind of Alan Partridge video found in bargain buckets.

But claimants were given a fair hearing, the need for damages was explained, and the temptation was resisted to focus too heavily on the obligatory ‘cash for crash’ scam.

The lawyers interviewed, Deborah Saini and Iain Gould, came across well and were able to articulate the challenges and issues in running a personal injury case.

Best of all were the remarkable Alton Towers victims Leah Washington and Joe Pugh, who each suffered horrific injuries in the 2015 crash but faced the aftermath with dignity and courage.

Programme makers should be commended for magnifying where good lawyers really can make a difference. In one case, a victim was offered £200 by a salon after botched eyebrow work: she ended up getting enough to help buy a car.

The documentary won’t win many awards, but any programme about personal injury which doesn’t use the term ‘compensation culture’ can be welcomed as a breath of fresh air. You can see the next episode on 5 July and catch up with the first here.

 

Topics