Case Study

Case summary

Incident

One afternoon, David was travelling on his electric bike. Suddenly and without warning, a van came from around a corner, drove into the lane that David was in, and collided with his bike.

David was thrown onto the ground. The driver of the van stopped and tried to park; however, in doing so, he accidentally drove over David’s foot.

The Gardaí and ambulance arrived at the scene shortly after the accident. David was brought to hospital by ambulance, where his left foot wound was closed with sutures. X-rays revealed minimally displaced fractures in the left foot, and he was diagnosed with a left foot soft tissue injury.

David had to wear a walking boot and use crutches for a few weeks following the accident. David also had ongoing left knee pain, as he had hit his knee off the ground during the collision. This limited his ability to kneel, stand, climb stairs and walk.

Every road user has a responsibility to ensure the safety of others on the road. On the day of the accident, the defendant showed negligence in his ability to drive in a safe manner. As a direct consequence of this negligence, David suffered not only physical injuries but also financial hardship.

Case settlement

The case was settled on the 10^th of October 2024 for the sum of €26,200. This was a great result for our client and we are proud of all the work put in by Elaine Hickey and her team to achieve this 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.