Case Study

Case summary

Incident

Oisin, a taxi driver, was driving at approximately 50km per hour on his way to collect a passenger. Suddenly, without warning, a car driving at high speed struck the rear of his car. Oisin’s car was pushed forward and veered all over the road before coming to a stop.

During the collision, Oisin hit his head on the steering wheel, however, airbags did not deploy. Oisin felt immediate pain in his neck and upper back. The Gardaí arrived at the scene and Oisin was taken by ambulance to hospital.

X-rays did not reveal any fractures, but Oisin was diagnosed with a soft tissue injury to the neck and upper back. He was discharged home with pain relief medication and recommended to undergo physiotherapy.

Oisin was unable to work for five weeks and suffered significant loss of earnings as a result. Once he returned to work, he struggled to resume his full work schedule because of the psychological impact the collision had on him. He felt anxious while driving and was extremely vigilant for danger.

This accident severely impacted Oisin’s daily lifestyle. Oisin suffered from poor sleep due to flashbacks of the accident and felt discomfort on the left side of his neck when sleeping.

The defendants were negligent in their duty to maintain a safe environment for road users. As a direct result of this negligence, Oisin suffered not only physical injuries but also ongoing pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and financial hardship.

Case progression

The Injuries Resolution Board assessed the injury at €4,000. Solicitor Maria Lakes reviewed the Injuries Resolution Board assessment and felt that it did not properly compensate Oisin for the injuries incurred. Maria instead instigated Court proceedings, and the case was brought to a successful conclusion.

Case settlement

The case was settled on the 1^st of October 2024 for the sum of €18,921. This was a great result for our client. We are proud of all the work put in by Maria and her team to achieve this brilliant outcome.

 *Note: Client name changed for GDPR reasons.

Information updated June 2026

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.