Case Study

Case summary:

Incident:

Ian was driving in and around the Naas Road in Dublin in December 2019. Suddenly, without any warning Ian’s car was struck, causing the vehicle Ian was travelling in to be pushed forward approximately 5 metres. The driver of the vehicle who crashed into Ian was carelessly driving at an unsafe speed, and as a result the driver was unable to stop or react in time before colliding with Ian’s car.

Ian attended Accident and Emergency services on the evening of the accident, as he was experiencing immense pain in his neck, shoulder blades and lower back. Ian was then diagnosed as having suffered soft tissue damage to the neck and lower back and was prescribed pain-relieving medicine. Ian is a barber and was off work for 3 weeks following the accident.

In June 2020, Ian was continuing to feel pain and stiffness in his injured areas, in particular when exercising, carrying out any household work, driving long distances and was experiencing sleep disturbances.

Ian can no longer carry out long shifts as a barber, or even play with his children, and often needs breaks from standing on his feet. His quality of life has been affected and caused great loss such as, medical expenses, loss of earnings and inability to carry out everyday activities. Ian’s injuries do not have a definite prognosis and are ongoing. Unfortunately, the onset of further issues from his injuries cannot be ruled out.

Case Progression

Court proceedings were instigated, and the case was brought to a successful conclusion.

Case Settlement

The case was settled in Dublin Circuit Court on the 18^th of April 2023 for the sum of €15,290.70.

This was a fantastic result for a deserving client, we are proud of the work put in by Monika and her team to achieve this successful outcome.

*Note: Client name changed for GDPR reasons.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I make a car accident claim?

   Following a car crash or other road traffic accident, your first port of call is to check to see if you, any passengers and anybody else involved in the accident need medical attention and to call an ambulance, where necessary, to ensure that medical attention is gotten as soon as possible.

   It is important that, if you have suffered a personal injury that you book an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible after the road traffic accident, even if you are involved in a minor road traffic accident, regardless of how minor you think the injuries are, in some cases these minor injuries can develop into a more serious threat to your health. In worst case scenarios, fatal road accidents can occur.

2. What information will my solicitor need to make a claim?

   In order for your solicitor to proceed with a personal injury claim for you they will need the following information:

   • Details of the person who caused the accident.
   • Names, addresses and contact information of any witnesses to the accident.
   • Where available, photographs of the location of the accident, paying particular attention to the item or area where the accident happened.
   • Name of Gardaí/police and station where the accident was reported – names of any Gardaí who attended the scene of the accident (where applicable).
   • Medical records detailing any injuries/treatment following the accident.
   • Details of any costs incurred following the accident (keep your receipts).
   • Details of any loss of earnings and details of any future loss of earnings if you are to be out of work for a long period of time.
   • Cost of medical treatment – details of future medical treatment needed.

3. How to calculate the value of my claim?

   The Injuries Board Book of Quantum provides us with general guidelines as to how much compensation may be awarded in a personal injury claim and is used by the Injuries Board when they are assessing a personal injury claim. This book was compiled by examining sample cases from over 51,000 closed personal injury cases from 2013 and 2014 and is based on actual court figures. It shows us what personal injury compensation amounts were awarded in the past and help give an estimate as to how much compensation could be awarded based on a person’s specific injuries.