Case Study

Case summary:

Incident

One day, Kate was in the passenger seat of her mother’s car as they drove along a small rural road. The bushes on the road were overgrown and there was a stop sign in Irish, a language that Kate and her mother did not understand.

Because Kate’s mother did not realise there was a stop sign, and the bushes prevented her from seeing the crossroads, she drove into the junction without stopping. An oncoming car from the left struck the passenger side of the car

The airbags deployed and the impact left Kate feeling dazed for a few seconds. When she came around, she immediately felt a sharp pain in her right hand.

The doors of the car were smashed shut, so when emergency services arrived, they had to cut Kate and her mother out of the car. Kate was taken to A&E.

On examination, it was found that Kate had sustained a fracture to her right hand. She was also experiencing chest pain. Kate had surgery on her hand that day and was released to go home later that evening.

Kate’s chest pain cleared up by itself within about a month, but the rehabilitation of her hand took about three months. During this time, she was unable to work at her job as a waitress. She had limited range of motion in her wrist for a number of months after returning to work.

Before the accident, Kate enjoyed playing the flute and doing yoga. Her ongoing pain prevented her from doing these activities for about three months.

Case progression

The Injuries Resolution Board assessed the injury at €31,727. Solicitor Ruth Foy reviewed the Injuries Resolution Board assessment and felt that it did not properly compensate the client for the injuries incurred. Ruth instead instigated Court proceedings, and the case was brought to a successful conclusion.

Case settlement

The case was settled on the 19^th of December 2024 for the sum of €42,050. This was a great result for our client. We are proud of all the work put in by Ruth and her team to achieve this outcome.

This case was handled by Tracey Solicitors LLP under Irish personal injury law.

 *Note: Client name changed for GDPR reasons.

Information updated November 2025

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.