Personal Injury Solicitors for Ireland
If you have been injured in an accident, you may be questioning your legal options in circumstances where you consider the cause of the accident was due to the negligence of another which has resulted in the harm to you.
Tort law is a type of law which deals with civil claims.
If you have been injured as a result of the actions of someone else, you will have suffered what is termed a Tort, which is a civil wrong, and the injured party has a right to seek a legal remedy for the wrong.
Tort law consists of a deterrence aspect within its purpose but in the event harmful conduct takes place, it’s purpose then is provide for a framework within which legal responsibility for the harm can take place, if one party is found liable. We specialise in litigation legal matters for civil law cases and assist clients nationwide.
You will find preliminary information on this page below and if you have any questions we can be contacted at info@clearysolicitors.com or (052) 612 1999 0r (01) 546 1121.
Areas of Personal Injury Law
We’re Here to Help with Your Personal Injury Questions
Personal Injuries Claims Process in Ireland
We have a separate information post on the personal injury claims process you can read here.
You will see detail under the Personal Injury Claims process below on this page about the how to regarding an injury claim.
Is there a time limit for personal injury claims in Ireland ?
Yes.
There is a limit regarding how long an injured person has to initiate a legal action. This limit is pursuant to the statute of limitations act and if surpassed, it can cause your claim to be whats termed as statute barred from court. One has two years from the date of the accident to initiate the legal action.
How long does a Personal Injury Claim take ?
There is no one singular answer that can be given which works for everybody.
It depends on the individual case for many reasons, but we will give a general guide here.
Personal Injury* claims must be submitted to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board for assessment. On average, claims made to PIAB are assessed within 9 months from the date the Board notifies the party who the claim is taken against.
If the case is dealt with and concluded at this point to the satisfaction of the parties, the entire timeframe could be 9 months to one year. If the matter is not dealt with by the Injuries Board, the injured party may have the option of proceeding to court to seek a Judgement from the court.
Some factors that may affect how long a case takes include:
- Once an application has been made to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board, it usually takes between 9 months to 1 year before it is concluded.
- If one of the parties does not agree to the Injuries Board making an assessment, the matter can proceed to court.
- If an assessment sum is not agreed to by one party, the matter can proceed to court.
- How long will the court case process take depends on various factors, such as, is the case straightforward for complex ?.
- Is there one injury or multiple injuries ?.
- What is the attitude of the defendant to the case ?.
- Has liability been admitted or is it contested ?.
- Has the injury stabilised ?.
- Has the treatment concluded ?. Has the injured parties doctors recommended further treatment ?. Detail of the further treatment is then required.
- What number of experts reports are required ?.
- Is it easy or difficult to obtain expert reports ?.
- Is it easy or difficult to obtain medical records ?.
- Have the legal pleadings concluded. In the High Court the defence must be provided to the injured parties solicitor within 8 weeks from the time the summons is served. This is not a long time, and in personal injury* cases one must proceed step by step in conjunction with the guidance of the doctor(s) assisting the injured party. Medical care can take time, recovery can take time, and guidance from the doctor and the patients thoughts on their own rehabilitation are important considerations in terms of assessing controlling the speed of a case.
Medical Expenses
One heading of damages in a personal injury claim* is called Special Damages.
Special Damages are financial losses that occurred to the injured party in the accident arising from negligence.
This could be vehicle damage in a road traffic accident, for example. It could be loss of earnings due to inability to work.
If an injured person who commences a personal injury* claim has medical expense loss, then this should be included in the persons claim.
Medical care for different injuries takes time, so the costs lost to the person for medical expenses should be reviewed over time.
If a person fractured a vertebra, for example, and if the matter did not resolve itself, they may be referred by their doctor to a pain management specialist, for example, to obtain treatment and pain relief.
This person may have facet joint pain syndrome or nerve root impingement syndrome and require joint injections, for example.
The injured person may then have procedure fees and consultation fees arising from the treatment care, and these losses can be included in the person’s special damages, as they are consequential losses arising from the accident in question.
In a case, there may be a need to calculate medical losses to date, but there may also be a requirement for future medical care costs to be assessed.
This will evidently depend on the seriousness of the injury/its duration etc.
It is not the person’s fault they are in the situation they are in, and if they have future care needs, then this should be included in a future care costs assessment.
Again, depending on the injury, but if the person requires future daily assistance/therapies/treatments / future programmes/counselling etc. then this should be included in the special damages.
If a person has future care financial needs, then retrospective care costs plus future care costs should be included in the person’s special damages.
Loss of Earnings in a Personal Injury Claim?
If a party is injured in an accident caused by the negligence of another, and they are out of employment for a short or long period of time, they will have a concern about lost income during the period of absence from work.
The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 does provide rights to employees regarding annual leave and public holiday pay, but if an employee is out of work due to an injury that does not resolve itself quickly which is commonplace, then the question arises regarding what income protection they have during the period of work absence.
If one is an employee, then they should review their employment contract to ascertain what is the sick pay policy in the contract if any. There may not be one.
If there is no such payment provision in your contract, then is there a sick pay policy in your workplace perhaps ?.
An employee can then consider if they have an income protection policy in place or if there is a health insurance policy in place under which they are covered.
If none of the above arises, then they should include in any personal injury* claim initiated, a claim for the loss of earnings arising from the negligence.
What is the period of absence and what is income loss will have to be assessed?
Payslips can assist with the computation and any relevant revenue documents.
If an injury recovery time is not finite, which many aren’t, and there is an inability to work into the future, or if a person cannot do the same job they did before due to the injury, possibly have to retrain which results in income reduction, then a loss of earnings claim into the future should be considered, and an actuary engaged to conduct this assessment.
It will need to be assessed what was the persons income pre-accident, what is the injury, what is specified in the medical reports, what is their current physical and mental capacity, and can they return to the same capacity they previously occupied in terms of their work.
If, for example, it is unlikely the injured person will have the capacity to fulfil the same previous employment role, which they will have discussed with their doctor, and this person needs to retrain, then it will likely be necessary for the person to have an assessment conducted by a vocational assessor for their case. When an accident happens in a persons life that carries long-term consequences, their life can be turned upside down, and time is needed to take stock and then choose a course of action that is the best way forward for them. A vocational assessor can, once the injured person symptoms have stabilised, the doctor(s) are clear regarding the prognosis, carry out an assessment in the form of a report, which can assist a court with an understanding of likely employment options available to the person, and employment options the injured person considers they will engage in.
Taxation
Is compensation arising from a personal injury claim subject to taxation ?
You can read about the answer on Revenues website here.
Legal Costs
If a case for personal injury is taken and concluded in the Injuries Board the client’s legal costs will arise for legal services provided for acting for them with respect to their injuries board application. The injuries board process generally takes between 9 months to a year and the legal cost will arise from services provided during this time. In a case taken the full legal cost for this service will be provided to you at an appointment and via letter.
If a persons case does not conclude arising from the Injuries Board process then legal costs from court proceedings are a separate legal costs matter to that of the injuries board.
If the person in court is successful in their court case there is a general rule which is termed costs follow the event.
We have been asked what does ‘costs follow the event’ mean and where does
This means in effect that the party who is successful in the civil proceedings is entitled then to an award of costs against the unsuccessful party unless a court otherwise directs. This is provided for within the Legal Services Act of 2015 with some exceptions.
Section 169 of the Legal Services Act 2015 states that a party who is entirely successful in civil proceedings is entitled to an award of costs against a party who is not successful in those proceedings, unless the court orders otherwise, having regard to the particular nature and circumstances of the case, and the conduct of the proceedings by the parties.
If there are a number of Defendants in a case, and the Plaintiff ie person who initiated the case, is successful against one defendant but not against a second defendant, then the Plaintiff will only likely obtain an award of costs against one defendant and the other defendant may be entitled to their own costs against them. In a 2015 case, it was stated by the court that ‘the general rule is that costs follow the event unless the court otherwise orders. The court also stated that ‘The overriding start point on any question of contested costs is that the general principle applies that namely, costs follow the event. All of the other rules, practises and approaches are supplementary to this principle and are designed to further its application or to meet situations where such application is difficult, complex or indeed even impossible’.
What are general damages in a personal injury claim ?
This heading covers the pain and suffering consequences which is individual to the person injured. This includes the medical evidence on file.
Guide to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board
Here is a guide to PIAB where applications are made to.
Injuries Board Application Guide
Here is a guide to making an injuries board application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a frequently asked questions guide of answered questions regarding personal injury claims and our numbers are are on our website for any unanswered questions.
Here is the FAQs guide.
Mediation before the Personal Injuries Assessment Board
Mediation at the Injuries Board, also known as the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB), is a voluntary dispute resolution process designed to help parties resolve personal injury claims without the need for formal court proceedings. The Injuries Board is an independent statutory body responsible for assessing personal injury claims and determining the amount of compensation to be awarded.
The person can elect to seek mediation on the application form to the injuries board.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal
For victims of assault in a public place, one avenue of redress for a person can be submitting an application to the Tribunal.
We have a legal post about this, you can see here.
Defective Products Legal Guide
Here is an information post about this.
Personal Injuries Board Act 2003 revised
The central legislative act is from 2003 and there has been many amendment revisions over the years, but here is the revised version as of the 14th of December 2023.
Accident at Work – HSE
We have a post dealing with this here.
Here you can see information on the HSE injury at work circular policy documents.
Personal Injuries Assessment Board
Here is a guide to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board.
Assaulted at Work Legal Guide
Here is a guide to this matter.
How do I know if I have a valid personal injury claim ?
General considerations one can consider when contemplating such a claim.
Injury: The first and most crucial factor is whether you have sustained an injury. This injury can be physical, psychological, or both, and it must have resulted from the negligence or wrongful act of another party.
Negligence: Was the injury caused by the negligence or wrongful act of another person or entity. This could include actions such as careless driving, unsafe working conditions, medical malpractice, or premises liability.
Duty of Care: The party responsible for your injury must have owed you a duty of care. For example, employers owe a duty of care to their employees to provide a safe working environment, and motorists owe a duty of care to other road users to drive safely.
Breach of Duty: One show that the party responsible for your injury breached their duty of care. This means they failed to take reasonable steps to prevent harm, such as failing to maintain safe premises, provide adequate training, or follow traffic laws.
Causation: There must be a direct link between the negligent actions of the responsible party and your injury. In other words, one must show that the negligent act was the direct cause of your injury and that you would not have been injured otherwise.
Damages: These damages can include medical expenses, loss of earnings, pain and suffering, and any other financial or non-financial losses incurred due to the injury.
Statute of Limitations: It’s important to be aware of the statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Ireland, which generally requires claims to be brought within two years from the date of the injury or from when the injury was first discovered. Failing to file within this timeframe may result in your claim being time-barred.
How many Personal Injury Claims go to Court ?
The Personal Injuries Assessment Board is tasked with dealing with such claims. In 2018 the Board noted they have assessed 130,000 claims since 2004 and that 60% of the applicants accepted the Injuries Board Assessment.
In essence the vast majority of such claims do not reach court and do not need to go to Court. Court only arises if it is necessary in the circumstances.
Will I have to go to court for my personal injury claim ?
The answer is it depends.
The injuries board are tasked with detailing with personal injury claims. If the injuries board do assess the matter, both parties accept the award, the matter concludes.
Resolving cases can also be undertaken with direct negotiations with the other side and vis a vis mediation.
What is a Personal Injury Claim ?
If you have been injured as a result of the actions of someone else, you will have suffered what is termed a Tort, which is a civil wrong, and as an injured party you will have a right to initiate a personal injury* claim. In the law of negligence, what is termed the ‘neighbour principle’ was laid down in a case back in 1932 but the Judge in that case outlined the parameters of the duty of care in the following quote “You must take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions which you can reasonably foresee would be likely to injure your neighbour’’.
Can I make a personal injury claim for emotional distress ?
There are conditions which must be met before one can embark on a personal injuries* legal action where one sustains emotional distress.
For example, if the distress is due to a work situation, one should apply the facts to the following questions.
- Is the employees injury either physical in nature or a recognisable psychiatric illness diagnosed by a Psychiatrist ?;
- Was the personal injury* caused by the bullying in the workplace ? for example;
- Did the bullying occur in the workplace ?;
- Was the conduct of the employer unreasonable and without proper cause, which is judged objectively ?;
- Can the injured employee prove that the bullying behaviour caused the injury and was this reasonably foreseeable ?.
The foreseeability test is very important in these actions and the question of what the employer did know, or ought to have known will be investigated thoroughly.
Do I need a personal injury solicitor to bring a personal injury claim ?
No you don’t. You can do it yourself. It is simply a decision you have to make based on if you perceive there is value in obtaining a solicitor or not. If you perceive there is no value in it, like in any service, you won’t want to obtain such a service.
You can obviously ask a solicitor what specifically their service involves and ascertain their experience for such cases, which may assist you making the decision.
Is there an impartial service or helpline for general advice ?
Not that we know of other than from solicitors who understand tort law.
What about Pre-existing Condition in a Personal Injury Claim?
If an individual commences a civil claim case and they have a fractured fibula, for example, as a result of a road traffic accident, it can occur that in the defence of your case, the defendant contends that the injury is the subject matter of the proceedings stemmed from a pre-existing injury/condition.
Sometimes it can happen a person sustains an injury, such as a fracture and sometimes in their medical history they also sustained a fracture in the same or similar place in the body.
The difference in time between the first and second injury could be ten years, but a defendant may nevertheless contend a previous accident/condition is the cause of the pain.
It is important for the injured person’s solicitor to review the person’s medical records to put the pieces of the medical history jigsaw together. The injured person’s doctor should be the person best placed to deal with this issue if the person has been with them for many years. People generally don’t tend to change their G.P. often, and a G.P. is often well placed to give a knowledgeable opinion on this matter, or it can be the person’s specialist, such as an orthopaedic surgeon in this scenario. The doctor should have all of the persons relevant medical records to conduct their review, but it is important for the person’s case this is answered decisively.
It may be the case that a previous injury was aggravated by the current injury the person has, but if the person was not symptomatic for a reasonable period before the date of the accident, then it should be clear that the pain and suffering arose from the incident that caused the injury which is the subject-matter of the case. Facts are facts, and what are the medical facts if this issue arises, will simply need to be established.
Personal Injury Claim Fraud
Crime of omission, is not normally what an injured person thinks is applicable to them ( the injured party ) when they are going about their business and an accident happens due to the fault of another’s negligence and they decide to pursue a personal injury claim*. However, this is what was argued recently towards a personal injury claimant who the court concluded gave false information in relation to their personal injury claim*.
If a person who brings a personal injury claim is found by the court to give false, dishonest, misleading information relating to their claim they can receive a sentence of ten years and or a fine of €100,000.
The law in Ireland on this is outlined in the Civil Liability Act 2004.
S. 25 of that Act, state’s, a person gives or dishonestly causes to be given, or adduces or dishonestly causes to be adduced, evidence in a personal injuries action that— is false or misleading in any material respect, and that he/she knows to be false or misleading, he/she will be guilty of an offence.
The person gives or dishonestly causes to be given, instruction or information, in relation to a personal injuries action, to a solicitor, or person acting on behalf of a solicitor, or an expert, that— is false or misleading in any material respect, and that he/she knows to be false or misleading, he/she will be guilty of an offence
A dishonest act has simply been defined as an act that was intended to mislead the court.
So the law is clear then, if anyone pursuing a personal injury claim* gives false information to the court, to their solicitor, to a doctor, orthopaedic surgeon etc. or an expert involved in or hired by the injured person then that person if the lie is proved in court can be sentenced to jail and or fined. This is a mighty consequence for being found to bring a fraudulent claim. A person could go to jail, incur a fine of €100,000, lose their freedom, lose the personal injury case they had and may have to pay the costs of bringing the case in the first place to the defendant.
S.26 of the Civil Liability Act state’s that the court will dismiss a claim where the person who brought the claim is found to have given false or misleading evidence.
If one was to bring an unmeritorious claim based on deceit and lies; there can be a very heavy price to pay in Ireland to take this route in the form of prison and or a huge fine.
What about remote hearings in Personal Injury Claims litigation cases ?
The current pandemic poses many challenges in so many aspects of life and getting court cases heard in personal injury claims* civil law cases are one such challenge.
Obviously, court cases require people to give evidence and attend a courtroom, and courthouse, which is problematic with the pandemic, but justice and the court process must go on, and one way to get court cases heard in personal injury claim* civil law cases is remote hearings.
Remote hearings will take place via video conferencing technology, such as the streaming app called PEXIP and although there was the intention of developing the infrastructure for remote court hearings prior to the pandemic, the need became urgent than with covid-19.
Now with the introduction of the recent Civil Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 certain courts have powers in respect of remote hearings for civil proceedings, which include personal injury claims* cases.
Parties in a personal injury claim* legal action can apply to the court for a direction with respect to the hearing of a case remotely.
A court of its own motion can itself direct that a civil law case proceeds by way of remote hearing.
Courts have the power to direct the means by which remote hearings will take place, the conduct of the remote hearing, and direct the attendance of witnesses etc.
Persons involved in a remote hearing, but not physically present in court, will have all the same obligations and liabilities as if they were present in the courtroom.
If a person who participates in such a remote hearing intentionally obstructions the technology ie video conferencing etc. they can be found guilty of an offence.
If the Judge is not in the courtroom during the hearing, they will be considered present and can exercise the powers conferred on them by the law.
A person could participate in a remote hearing if they are outside the state with the benefit of such technology, which could be a hugely beneficial outcome for many cases and a reduction in costs.
Many people are wondering how their cases are going to get heard and concluded in the pandemic, but court hearings with people present are continuing to a degree, and now remote hearings could well become commonplace with time to get cases on, heard, and concluded.
What are the Personal Injury Judicial Guidelines ?
The Judicial Council of Ireland established guidelines with respect to the levels of compensation for General Damages in personal injury claims.
The Personal Injuries Board and a Court will use the guidelines when assessing personal injury claims.
Winning & Losing in a Personal Injury Claim
Sometimes the Plaintiff ie injured party in a personal injury* claim if they are successful in their case, a court can apportion liability between the injured party and the defendant, and this person is momentarily confused if they won or indeed lost their case.
Here’s an example.
Luke (not a real named client) was injured in a work accident. He takes a case against his employer for damages citing negligence and breach of statutory duty for a wedge fracture of a thoracic disc sustained. The employee contends the system of work created by the employer was unsafe and this accident was a foreseeable consequence of the employer’s breach of the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act 2005.
An employer under the legislation is obligated to ensure employees are safe at work, as is reasonably practicable, manage work activities in a safe manner and have systems of work that are planned, organised, maintained etc. which are safe and so without risk to the employee.
The employee also contends the employer was in breach of Section 19 of the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act 2005 as they did not carry out a risk assessment to assess the risk related to the accident that occurred, and then act accordingly by taking the steps to deal with the risks.
The employer on the other hand denies negligence.
The employer contends the employee is responsible for the accident and contends the injured party was in breach of Section 13 of the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act 2005 which requires employees to take care to protect their own safety at work, not engage in conduct that would endanger his/her own safety etc. The employer contends the employee was 100% contributory negligent for their own injury and hence should not recover from the defendant employer.
The system of work in place at the time of the accident will need to be assessed by the court and possibly engineers’ evidence given.
If the court makes a decision in favour of the employee, but not 100%, it can apportion liability.
For example, the court concludes the employer breached a duty of care and/or statutory duty to the employee, but also that the employee contributed to the negligence. Therefore the court could conclude, for example, that it holds the employer liable for 75% and the employee-injured party 25%, therefore the person’s award of damages will be reduced by this 25%.
Statements of Truth in Personal Injury Claims
A number of changes were brought about by the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 in response to pandemic challenges, but one of the changes relates to a document titled the Statement of Truth which is now relevant for persons in personal injury claim* legal actions.
In August 2020 since the introduction of the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 we now have what is termed Statements of Truth in personal injury claims* legal cases.
Section 21 of the Act deals with Statements of Truth which can be seen here.
This statement of truth is one of the legal reform responses to the pandemic.
Up until this point we have had in personal injury claim* civil law cases the requirement of Verifying Affidavits in each personal injury* action. This required witnesses in civil law cases to swear a religious oath in an affidavit.
One of the many problems that arose in the pandemic was the difficulty of affidavits being sworn on oath, as this process requires a meeting in person with a solicitor/commissioner for oaths etc., with all the problems of humans being in the same room together and the pandemic infection risk.
Law reform decision-makers decided upon Statements of Truth in civil law personal injury claim* cases which means that statements of truth can be transmitted to courts offices by electronic means which can replace verifying affidavits or statutory declarations.
The effect of the signed statement of truth is the person making it confirms the facts included in the document are true ie that the person has an honest belief the facts are true.
The statement of truth must be signed by the person making it, which can be effected in electronic format.
If a person makes a statement of truth they know to be false, they may be guilty of an offence and liable to summary or indictable conviction, or proceedings for contempt of court.
What is contributory negligence ?
Contributory negligence is a legal principle that applies when the injured party (the plaintiff) contributes to their own injury through their own negligent actions or failure to take reasonable care for their safety. In personal injury claims, contributory negligence can affect the amount of compensation awarded to the plaintiff.
Can you make a personal injury claim if is partially my fault ?
Potentially yes. This is a contributory negligence matter. A case review would need to be conducted to assess the matter. In a work context this could be, for example, where defective equipment caused the injury but the person did not wear the correct gloves on the day in question.
PIAB Medical Report Cost
The cost of the initial medical report the person submits to the injuries varies depending on the specialist who is conducting the report.
If it is a general practitioner an average fee is approximately €350.00.
Do I need a solicitor for PIAB ?
The simple answer is no you don’t.
Legal assistance is a service like any service you have to get value out of it. You don’t need a mechanic if you can change the oil filter in your own car, for example.
PIAB Medical Assessment
Evidently the injured party will have their own General Practitioner and any specialist they have attended for the matter.
Once the application has been submitted to PIAB, a company called Medlaw, whom they have tasked with the service, will arrange medical appointment(s) for the person as the Injuries Board will want their own medical report to make their assessment.
PIAB Form A
You can find the Injuries Board Application Form A here.
Personal Injury Claims Calculator
How is compensation calculated in a personal injury claim ?
Calculating compensation involves assessing various factors to determine the amount of damages owed to the injured party.
Headings of Loss.
Special Damages: Special damages refer to quantifiable financial losses incurred by the injured party as a result of the injury. These may include:
- Medical Expenses: The cost of medical treatment, hospitalization, rehabilitation, medication, and any other healthcare-related expenses incurred due to the injury.
- Loss of Earnings: Compensation for income lost as a result of the injury, including wages or salary lost during recovery and any future loss of earning capacity.
- Property Damage: The cost of repairing or replacing damaged property, such as a vehicle or personal belongings, resulting from the accident.
General Damages: General damages, also known as non-economic damages, compensate the injured party for non-monetary losses that are more difficult to quantify. These may include:
Pain and Suffering: Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and mental anguish caused by the injury.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life: Compensation for the impact of the injury on the injured party’s quality of life, including the inability to engage in hobbies or activities enjoyed prior to the injury.
Loss of Consortium: Compensation for the negative impact of the injury on the injured party’s relationships with their spouse, family members, or other loved ones.
Future Damages: In cases where the injury has long-term or permanent effects, compensation may be awarded for future medical expenses, loss of earnings, and ongoing care needs.
Mitigation of Damages: The involves the injured party taking steps to minimise their loss and endeavour to deal with the medical side of the issue etc.
Contributory Negligence: If the injured party is found to have contributed to their own injury through their own negligence, the compensation award may be reduced proportionally to reflect their degree of fault.
Judicial Council Personal Injuries Guidelines
Damages awards with respect to the specific injury are specified on the personal injury guidelines seen here.
Do You Need Advice on Personal Injury* Claims?
Visit our Offices in Dublin 7 or Clonmel Tipperary and we assist clients across Ireland.Cleary & Co. Solicitors, Litigation Law Firm – Experienced Personal Injury Solicitors Ireland
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Kieran Cleary and Roger Cleary of Cleary & Co. are responsible for files involving litigation in our firm.
We have forty years combined experience with respect to litigating civil cases and dealing with accident and personal injury claims in Ireland.
We believe in open and honest communication with clients and treat them as we’d like to be treated as a recipient of the service. If instructed to commence a case, our work is to assist the client with respect to proving negligence has arisen and one party is liable, therefore responsible for causing the incident and to compensate the person. We believe in direct and transparent communication with clients and this includes case opinions with respect to liability and proving negligence.
The first important question that needs answering after a facts review in a case is can the injured party take a case in terms of the principles of negligence.
The next question which is more important, in our view, is should the person take the case with respect to the evidence available. After the initial meeting with us, the person will know our opinion of the strengths or weakness of their case, the case process, timeframe, loss assessment etc.
A primary purpose of Tort law civil claims, of which a personal injury claim is one such claim, is to provide a system within which a remedy to the wrong can be made if one party is liable. We assist clients to act on their behalf to seek this remedy by contesting the matter with the representatives of the defendant.
In terms of geographic service areas we have moved to provide a nationwide service over the years and still provide this.
Consultations take place in person at one of the addresses specified on our contact us page or online.
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Personal Injury Claims Process in Detail
Any type of accident can be covered by tort law, such as, if you have an accident in a car, or as a pedestrian or an accident at work.
As we all know, your health is your wealth. We can all take this for granted sometimes until we are unwell.
If you have been in an accident and are injured and someone else caused your accident, you should be compensated for the injury and the disturbance to your life. This disturbance could be loss of work, loss of a hobby or various other things. A real life example could be a chef who especially needs his hands for work and one day, while driving home, he is hit by another car and suffers an injury to his hand.
If you take proceedings against the party who has caused your injury and it goes to Court, the Judge hearing the case will consider the extent of the pain and discomfort caused to you by your injury and in addition will consider the impact of the accident on your work life, your social life, and personal life in making an assessment of damages.
Your personal injury solicitors task is to assist you proving the offending party is legally responsible for causing the accident.
You won’t need a Solicitor if the offending party agrees to compensate you for causing the accident and liability is admitted and you are happy with the compensation offered. Now being Solicitors, we would advise you to seek advice from a Solicitor to ascertain if the offer of compensation is fair.
If on the other hand, the person who caused the injury does not agree to compensate you, you will need a Solicitor unless you decide to pursue the matter yourself.
Your case could be decided by the Personal Injuries* Assessment Board, which means you do not need to attend any court hearing of any sort, and the Injuries Board can direct the offending party to pay you a certain amount of compensation.
If the case is not dealt with by the Injuries Board, you will have to go to the District Court, Circuit Court or High Court to establish that the offending party is legally responsible for the accident and must pay the compensation.
If the offending party, once the Order has been granted decides not to pay, your Solicitor can help you with what is termed enforcing the Order, to ensure that you get the compensation.
9 Steps of the Personal Injury Claims Procedure
If you have been injured in a car accident or injured at work or for example injured in a public place etc. and can initiate a civil remedy and seek damages. To start this you must submit an Application Form to the Injuries Board for assessment.
The Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act established the Personal Injuries Board as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism to a court.
If you have been injured and seek compensation for the pain, suffering and loss then certain procedures must be followed.
1. Time Limits
If you have been injured due to the negligence of another and wish to pursue an action to recover damages, you must begin this action within 2 years of the accident in question.
This is a strict legislative rule which has an exception for exceptional circumstances only.
2. Letter before Action
Under S.8 of the Civil Liability Act 2004 this is called a ‘Letter of Claim’. A person pursuing an action should serve notice in writing to the other person within 1 month of the date of the accident of their intention to pursue this course of action.
If its possible in the circumstances, do obtain the details of the other driver in relation to a car accident or a cycling accident and take note of the registration of the car.
Its more difficult for the Gardai to investigate an accident if they don’t have the necessary information particulars.
If the letter of claim is not sent to the offending party, a court can draw inferences from the injured party’s failure to do so.
3. Preservation of Evidence
Depending on the nature of the accident and the factual situation, an application can be make to Court to preserve necessary evidence in a situation where the other party will not undertake to preserve it. This is especially the case with CCTV as many holders of CCTV do not retain it for very long.
4. Form A
If the matter is not resolved at this stage and the alleged wrongdoer is on notice of it, then an application to the Injuries Board can be made by completing and submitting Form A with the application fee €45 or €90 and a medical report. The Injuries Board accept applications either online or via post.
The medical report will be completed by your doctor and will include information regarding accident details, injuries sustained, medical history, complaints, clinical findings and prognosis.
When you receive the medical report you should go through its content and make sure everything is accurate and your happy with it.
5. Insurance Company Correspondence
Its likely after the application to the Injuries Board is submitted, you will receive a holding letter from the Insurance Company explaining that liability is being investigated and asking a series of questions.
Various outcomes can happen in civil cases after initiation, such as, liability can be admitted, the Injuries Board Assessment can take place, or the matter can proceed to Court for a determination by a Judge.
6. Registration
Once the Injuries Board have received the application they will send the s.50 confirmation letter which is very important, as it acknowledges registration of the civil action.
7. Section 13 Notice
The Injuries Board will then send this notice of the application to the alleged wrongdoer and he/she has 90 days to consent/reject or do nothing. The Injuries Board will send a copy of the injured person’s application with this notice and or any other accompanying documents.
The Injuries Board will after this period begin their assessment, if the alleged wrongdoer does not reject this outright. In that case court proceedings can begin.
8. 9 Month Period
The Injuries Board must make their assessment within 9 months of receiving the alleged wrongdoers consent to assessment. Once the assessment decision is made the alleged wrongdoer is given 21 days to accept / reject the award. The injured party is given 28 days to accept / reject the award.
9. Award of Pay
If the injured person and the other person ( respondent ) BOTH accept the award then the Injuries Board will make an Order to Pay. If one party does not accept the award in question for whatever reason, then a Court will have to hear the matter and resolve it. Enforcemenet of an award is the subject of another post.
Cleary & Co. Solicitors, Litigation Law Firm
Kieran Cleary and Roger Cleary, Personal Injury Solicitors can help with questions you may have regarding negligence, liability, case viability etc. and our numbers are (01) 546 1121 or (052) 612 1999 or our email address is info@clearysolicitors.com
Do You Need Advice on Personal Injury* Claims?
Visit our Offices in Dublin 7 or Clonmel Tipperary and we assist clients across Ireland.More Frequently Asked Questions
If you have been injured as a result of the actions of someone else, you will have suffered what is termed a Tort, which is a civil wrong, which basically means you will have a right to seek a legal remedy for this wrong. Tort law is there to protect people from harm and injury and attach legal responsibility to anyone who causes the harm.
Is there an impartial service or helpline for general advice ?
Not that we know of other than from solicitors who understand tort law.
How do I chose a personal injury solicitor ?
We would say by assessing the persons experience, results and the best way to assess this is testimonials/referrals from previous clients of the solicitor. It is very important you get on with the solicitor and you will know this after meeting them. Evidently it is a professional relationship, but good & direct communication is key, in our opinion. Obviously check out a solicitors website, but meeting with the solicitor to carry out this assessment should be very helpful.
Can I make a personal injury claim myself ?
This is answered in a paragraph above.
What qualifies as a personal injury case ?
If a person owes another a duty of care, such as a vehicle road user, and another is injured in an incident due to negligent driving, then the injured party is entitled to seek a legal remedy in the matter. So, there must be a duty of care, there must have been a breach of duty, and the breach must have caused the harm, which then was a foreseeable consequence of the breach of duty.
How can I prove pain and suffering ?
Evidently in a case, an injured parties evidence regarding how an incident has affected their life is an important aspect of their case, but in terms of proving the pain and suffering, medical evidence deals with this case aspect. What was the persons diagnosis ? then treatment ? duration of treatment ? how did the injury affect their life etc. Medical reports and doctors evidence deal with this, but a persons story is ever important to describe it in their words as they deal with it daily.
How do I know if I have a personal injury case ?
If you have been injured due to the fault of another and are wondering if negligence arose or not, then in our opinion, it is beneficial for you to obtain a legal opinion so the facts can be assessed by the solicitor and legal principles of tort law applied to the facts. There must be a duty of care between the parties involved, this duty must have been breached, and with the result the injured parties loss is a consequence of that breach.
Personal Injury Claims Questions & Answers
If you have been injured in an accident due to the fault of another you will have a lot of questions.
These can vary from –
‘Am I eligible to make a claim or take a case’;
‘Is the other driver possibly negligent and is it easy or hard to prove’;
‘What is my personal injury case worth’;
‘What do I do if the other party has no insurance’;
‘Do I have a good case’
We will try to answer any questions you have and advise on the best course of action. Most importantly, if instructed we will act for you to seek the best possible outcome for you.
“In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement;”.
Cleary & Co. Solicitors, Litigation Law Firm
Kieran Cleary and Roger Cleary, Personal Injury Solicitors can help with questions you may have regarding negligence, liability, case viability etc. and our numbers are (01) 546 1121 or (052) 612 1999 or our email address is info@clearysolicitors.com
Do You Need Advice on Personal Injury* Claims?
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We help people injured due to negligence* attain restitution to their pre-accident position, as much as is possible, for the pain, suffering & financial loss, by seeking damages from the negligent party on their behalf.
Visit our Offices in Dublin 7 or Clonmel Tipperary and we assist clients across Ireland.