Latest news with #LeeWilliams
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Car gets stuck in sand after rescue attempt at Boscombe Beach
A car has become stuck in the sand at a tourist hot spot for the third time this summer.A witness told the BBC that a black Land Rover drove onto Boscombe Beach in Bournemouth to try and rescue two people on a broken-down water Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council are installing warning signs to remind people not to drive on to the sand following this latest incident on Tuesday evening. The local authority said cars should not be driven on the beach for the safety of tourists and residents Lee Williams and two of his friends were out fishing when they spotted the vehicle driving near to Boscombe Pier. He said he noticed the water scooter had been broken down for at least two hours and watched as the 4x4 driver reversed their trailer into the sea in an attempt to help. His two friends then assisted the driver by pushing the car free from the water. BCP Council is reminding people that driving on the beach is "strictly prohibited."Councillor Richard Herrett, cabinet member for destination, leisure and commercial operations, said: "The safety of residents and visitors enjoying the seafront, including children, is paramount and there are plenty of car parks conveniently located across the three towns and close to the beaches."We will be placing signs along the beach road to remind drivers they must not drive onto the sand." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- BBC News
Three charged and more arrested over Salford disorder
Three people have been charged and two more arrested following scenes of violent disorder that broke out in 50 to 60 people gathered during the disturbance in the city's Lower Broughton Road at about 13:30 BST on Manchester Police said cars were stolen and set on fire, motorbikes were being ridden erratically and bricks were thrown at officers, while wheelie bins and cars were used to block off the force detailed only one arrest at the time - a 16-year-old girl - but officers have now released details of more action they have taken. Anthony Balderstone, 37, of Lancashire Hill, Heaton Norris, has been charged with being drunk and disorderly and possession of a Class A drug. Brandon Lawrence, 20, of Grasmere Road, Swinton, and Lee Williams, 18, of Gravenmoor Drive, Salford, were both charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place. 'No further incidents' A 16-year-old boy was also arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article and a 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of theft and public order. Both have been bailed pending further comes after a 16-year-old girl was arrested and later charged with assaulting a police officer on Ch Insp Helen Bagnall said: "I would like to reiterate that this form of disorder will not be tolerated in our communities."There have been no additional incidents since our last update. We have comprehensive plans ready to address any future incidents in the area, and our officers will respond promptly if necessary." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
REVEALED: The US states where doctors are most likely to bungle your surgery
If you don't want to end up botched, you may want to think twice before booking surgery in New York. That's according to a analysis of a database that tracks medical malpractice settlements, which found the Empire State had the most settlements in the US per healthcare provider, which includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists and physician associates — about double the national average. Analyzing more than 1million claims filed from 2004 to 2024, the analysis showed the US had an overall rate of about 313 payments per 1,000 providers, with an average of $313,000 paid out for each lawsuit that was settled. In New York, however, the rate was double that at 663 payments per 1,000 practitioners, with an average of $408,000 paid out per settlement. Among the most expensive was the $120million paid in 2023 to 41-year-old Lee Williams, a commercial real estate broker who now lives with permanent brain damage after doctors allegedly failed to swiftly diagnose his stroke. Medical malpractice is when a healthcare professional fails to provide appropriate treatment, takes an improper action or gives substandard care. This often results in serious injury and long-term harm to patients, such as serious brain damage or the loss of a limb. The data did not reveal details of the malpractice claims or an explanation for the rates, but major cities — such as New York — tend to have a greater number of hospitals and healthcare workers that are willing to take on more complicated cases where there may be a higher risk of treatment error. Specifically, New York — which has the most practicing doctors and healthcare workers, at 35,000 — is also one of 21 states that does not cap the level of payment for medical malpractice claims, according to attorneys Miler and Zois, which may encourage more patients to file lawsuits seeking a settlement. The higher number of payment reports in New York could also be due to its legal framework, attorneys suggest, which tends to favor patients. Following New York was Pennsylvania with about 503 medical malpractice settlements per 1,000 healthcare providers — and an average payout of $376,000. New Mexico was third with 442 settlements per 1,000 providers, and an average payment of $295,000 per report. New Jersey came in fourth — at about 418 settlements per 1,000 practitioners — and an average of $386,000 payments per patient. And Florida was fifth, with 405 per 1,000 providers — and about $255,000 per payment on average. The state with the lowest rate of medical malpractice settlements was Alabama, where there were 86 medical malpractice claims per 1,000 healthcare workers. North Dakota was second from bottom, at 113 per 1,000, and Minnesota had the third-lowest rate, at 124 per 1,000. The data did not reveal the reason for filing the cases, but a 2020 survey suggested the most common reason is misdiagnosis, which can delay vital care for patients, potentially leading to harms. According to the report from Standards of Care — which campaigns for quality healthcare in the US — this accounted for 32 percent of medical malpractice claims. Botched surgery or procedures where mistakes were made were the second most common, with about 25 percent of cases. Details on specific cases were not included in the database but there have been plenty of high-profile cases during the years analyzed. In 2024, a lawsuit was filed against Florida doctor Berto Lopez over claims he accidentally cut off the head of a newborn baby's penis during a circumcision. And in November 2023, patient Peter Wang was awarded a payment of $7million after he claimed an ophthalmologist misdiagnosed an infection in his left eye, leading him to go blind in the eye and eventually requiring surgery to remove it. In a record case from Pennsylvania in June last year, $183million was awarded to the family of a child born at a local hospital after they claimed the baby suffered severe brain injuries during birth from being deprived of oxygen. And so far this year, in New York state a 65-year-old man received a $60million payout after a routine epidural injection allegedly left him permanently paralyzed and a woman received $7million after she claimed to be left with significant pain following hip surgery. For the analysis, extracted data from the National Practitioner Data Bank — a database run by the Department of Health and Human Services that tracks medical malpractice claims in the US. This records all medical malpractice payments made by providers and entities — such as hospitals and clinics — in the US. It records all payments made by these bodies whether in court or due to out-of-court settlements. But it may not record all cases where payments related to medical malpractice are made by an individual, such as a doctor. Data on the total number of medical malpractice payments made from 2004 to 2024 was extracted, as well as the total number of active providers in each state. This was analyzed to calculate the rate of medical malpractice claims per 1,000 practitioners per state. The database also tracks the total amount paid out over medical malpractice claims, finding New York also had the highest total pay outs over the two decades tracked — at $14billion. Next was Pennsylvania, with $7billion, and third was Florida, with $6billion. California was fourth at $5billion.
Powys County Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
Bargain Hunt filming at Tower Auction House Newtown
Get your bidder numbers ready because hit BBC One TV programme Bargain Hunt will be filming in Newtown on Saturday (May 17). Fans of the popular daytime show will get to see what happens behind the scenes of the iconic programme during a live auction at Tower Auction House in Pool Road. The blue and red teams have already spent up to £300 during an hour at the Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd, near Builth Wells, on antiques which they'll sell in Newtown on Saturday. Before the sale, the Bargain Hunt presenter and the auctioneer will discuss the chances of each item making or losing money for the teams. The teams get to keep the difference between what they spend on an item and the hammer price at the auction house in Newtown, so it's all to play for as the auction begins from 9.30am. Tower Auction House customers were delighted after being told that Newtown could make television fame on the long-running BBC programme. Mark Horsley described it as 'fantastic news and well deserved' for the Powys business. While Lee Williams congratulated Tower Auction House, adding that staff have 'earnt the recognition'. The Royal Welsh Showground has been a regular feature on Bargain Hunt for many years, and in 2022 a couple from Caersws donned the famous red team fleeces on the show which was filmed at the Wrexham Antiques Centre. Another Newtown business which will be getting in on the lights, camera and action will be Lion Bites which will be offering an extended time on Saturday to accommodate Bargain Hunt's filming. 'Get yourselves down and pick up a bap and a bargain,' Lion Bites said.
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Seconds from death... but saved at the final moment: Eyewitness reveals how hero Spitfire pilot spared two lives as it crashed into field
An eyewitness has revealed how a hero Spitfire pilot saved two lives with an emergency landing in crop field. Lee Williams, 55, was on holiday at a campsite with his wife Nicola when they saw two historic warplanes circling overhead before they heard an engine misfiring and then a 'thud'. He exclusively told MailOnline how he sprinted across a field in West Hythe, Kent, before clambering over barbed wire where he saw parts of the aircraft scattered among the crops. Mr Williams said he was expecting to see the aircraft in a ball of flames but was left astonished to find an American passenger uninjured and high-fived the pilot for 'saving two lives'. Fire crews and paramedics had rushed to the scene last night after the historic aircraft plummeted from the sky. Images from the incident show the warplane lying in a field as onlookers and emergency service personnel gather around it. Mr Williams, 55, a managing director of Pacific Security Systems Ltd from Charing Heath in Kent, said he and his wife saw the planes circling in the sky at about 7.15pm. He said: 'Then my wife said 'Crikey, that was really low'. One of the planes went over, I could hear the engine misfiring and then there was a thud.' Did YOU see the crash? Email Lee Williams, 55, was on holiday at a campsite with his wife Nicola (both pictured) when they saw two historic warplanes circling overhead before they heard an engine misfiring and then a 'thud' 'I ran over to the field, climbed over the barbed wire and the two guys on board had already got out of it. The pilot was on the phone to someone, so I spoke with the passenger, an American guy from Colorado. 'He was given the flight as an experience from his boss, they had flown from Biggin Hill, it was a birthday present. 'They were both uninjured - they did an absolutely great job with the false landing. The plane itself - there were several parts strewn across the field. 'But it was unbelievable that he didn't do more damage. 'I was speaking to the passenger and he said: "These things don't glide very well!" Then the fire brigade turned up and secured the scene. 'I must admit I was 100 per cent fearing the worst when I went to go and help, I was expecting to see the plane on fire at the very least. 'But I high-fived the pilot and then I said what a great job they had done - they saved two lives with the way they landed that. 'It wasn't that they were walking wounded - they weren't even wounded to my eyes. They did a great job.' An anonymous witness saw the plane after it hit the earth told KentOnline: 'We were on our way home from shopping and saw another Spitfire circling. 'Which we thought was unusual so thought perhaps they're practising for a VE-Day ceremony.' She went on explain how she had watched the plane for a few minutes while driving before suddenly coming across the crashed aircraft. The pilot and passenger had luckily made it out of the Spitfire, but bystanders had gathered to take a look at the damage and check to make sure everyone was safe. 'We contacted the farmer to make them aware and to get the gate opened,' she added. A spokesman for the fire service stated: 'We were called to an aircraft that had made an emergency landing. 'Two fire engines attended, and crews helped to make the scene safe. One person was passed into the care of SECAmb paramedics.' Emergency crews reportedly left the scene just after 9pm. The iconic aircraft belonged to Biggin Hill-based Spitfire flight experience company, Fly a Spitfire. A spokesperson said: 'We are aware of an incident involving one of our Spitfire aircraft in the vicinity of Hythe. 'We have spoken to the pilot who has advised that a precautionary landing was made at a non-airfield site. 'The pilot and passenger are uninjured and at this stage we have no further information.' According to the local news site, the Spitfire was built in 1943 and entered service with 441 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force, serving with the RAF. Its first operational sortie was flown on September 25, 1944.
