The 4 Most Common Personal Injuries Claims in Ireland

If you’ve suffered a personal injury through no fault of your own, seeking the advice of professionals is always the best choice. What are the most common personal injury claims in Ireland and how can you secure the compensation you are entitled to?

Road traffic accident claims are those that arise when a person is injured on our roads. The most common forms of injury in this jurisdiction, road traffic accidents come in all forms and include accidents that occur to all types of road users – from pedestrians to truck drivers. Due to the fact that they often involve heavy machinery travelling at great speeds, road traffic accidents cause some of the most serious and long-lasting injuries.

Because of this, medical bills can pile up quickly, time off work can diminish income, and the injuries themselves can adversely affect quality of life. That’s why injury compensation exists – to give those who have been injured the best chance to recover.

Under Irish law, land owners have a legal responsibility to keep their land safe and free from hazards to prevent injury befalling those who visit, use, or trespass on it.

Public liability accidents are those that occur in public land and are caused by the negligence or actions of the entity responsible for maintaining that public space. Commonly in the form of trips, slips and falls on publicly-owned land, accidents in public places are the second most common form of personal injury claims in the State.

Often known as ‘employer liability claims’, accidents at work claims are those that have occurred in a workplace as a direct result of the negligence of an employer. Under Irish law, employers must take adequate measures to protect the health and safety of their employees. When an employer fails in this duty and this failure results in an accident to one of their employees, they may be responsible for the injury and any subsequent claim.

A familiar occurrence in Ireland, such accidents occur for a variety of reasons – such as human error, improper training, an unsafe environment, insufficient safety precautions, or inadequate equipment.

Doctors and other medical professionals are not exempt from personal injury claims and are considered to be just as accountable for their mistakes and negligence as anybody else. When healthcare professionals fail in their duty of care, it’s called medical negligence (also known as clinical negligence or medical malpractice).

Some of the most common forms of medical negligence claims are:

a) Error during a surgery.
b) Misdiagnosis.
c) Failure to establish illness.
d) When substandard medical care has been received.

Due to the complexity of medical treatments and the standard of proof under Irish law, medical negligence is an extremely complex facet of law. It requires a claimant to demonstrate that another medical practitioner, at the same time and in the same circumstances, would have chosen a different course of action which would ultimately have prevented the injury sustained from occurring in the first place.

O’Brien & Company Solicitors is a team of solicitors in Dublin 7, with very experienced staff who are all passionate about achieving the best results for our clients. We will be at your side throughout your legal journey.