Case Study

Case summary

Incident

Sophie was driving one day when the car in front of her suddenly came to a halt. She managed to stop safely, however, the driver travelling behind her was unable to react in time and collided with the rear of her car. The force of the impact pushed Sophie’s vehicle into the car in front.

Emergency services attended the scene of the accident, and Sophie was taken by ambulance to hospital. She was assessed in the Emergency Department and underwent X-rays, which did not reveal any fractures. Sophie was subsequently discharged into the care of her GP and prescribed anti-inflammatory medication to help manage swelling and pain in her lower back.

In the weeks following the accident, Sophie’s symptoms continued. She had ongoing lower back pain which radiated into her right leg, as well as numbness on the outside of her foot.

Sophie underwent further medical assessment and an MRI scan and was diagnosed with a soft tissue injury to her lower back.

These ongoing symptoms had a considerable impact on Sophie’s day-to-day life. She needed assistance with heavier household chores and carrying shopping. Driving for long periods aggravated her back pain, her sleep was regularly disturbed, and her ability to take part in physical activities was significantly limited.

Every road user bears the responsibility of ensuring the safety of other road users. The driver travelling behind Sophie failed to stop in time, resulting in a rear end collision. As a direct result of the accident, Sophie sustained injuries which significantly affected her daily activities and quality of life.

Case settlement

The case was settled on 6^th of February the for the sum of €27,800. This was a great result for our client; we are proud of all the work put in by Monika Kealy and her team to achieve this brilliant 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.