Harmless Fun Can Kill Someone

Abstract

1is a quotation taken from a television commercial, which at the time of writing, is broadcast on Channel Five. It is the final written and verbal punch line promoting a personal injury claims service. The advertisement goes out frequently, particularly during the daytime and I have seen it displayed during evening schedules. Another firm 2 also vying for the personal injury claims market attracts the viewers’ attention by showing a young boy in a public playground. In the background are slides and a climbing frame, the implication is that the boy has damaged his eyesight whilst playing and requires glasses because of his injury. (The use of the playground as a site for advertising this type of product is interesting; it obviously suggests that it has been identified as an area of potential complaint and compensation). Comforted by a reassuring voiceover, viewers are informed that this particular firm, on behalf of the boy’s mother, successfully claimed damages for her son’s injury. The advertisement concludes with the suggestion that the mother received a large payment as recompense for a presumed negligence. Similar commercials publicising different personal injuries claims services are broadcast on other terrestrial television channels. 3