Case Study

Case summary

Incident

Catherine was cycling past a petrol station when a car emerged and struck her bicycle. As a result of this impact, Catherine was thrown from her bicycle and landed in the middle of the road. Members of the public came to her assistance, and emergency services attended the scene. Catherine was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

Catherine was diagnosed with a fracture of her left wrist, a contusion to the left side of her ribcage and injuries to her right wrist. She was later referred to another hospital for further treatment of the wrist fracture. Catherine had to undergo open reduction and internal fixation surgery and later attended follow-up appointments.

Following the accident, Catherine continued to experience pain and stiffness in her left wrist. She also experienced weakness in her left hand and, at times, dropped objects as a result. Catherine underwent physiotherapy and continued to have trouble with everyday activities such as lifting heavy items, hoovering, washing dishes and opening jars.

Catherine also suffered psychological symptoms following the accident. She became afraid to cycle again and was fearful when crossing the roads or travelling near traffic. She experienced flashbacks of the accident, anxiety and heightened awareness of danger.

Before the accident, cycling formed an important part of Catherine’s daily life and she regularly used her bicycle to visit family, go shopping and meet friends.

Every road user bears the responsibility of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of others on the road. Unfortunately, on the day of the accident, the driver, failed to take sufficient care when emerging from the petrol station. As a direct result of the collision, Catherine suffered significant physical injuries as well as ongoing psychological difficulties, which had considerable impact on her day-to-day life.

Case settlement:

The case was settled on the 2^nd of December 2024 for the sum of €48,397.73. This was a great result for our client, and we are proud of all the work put in by Paul and his 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.