The High Court in a 2020 decision, Sheehan v Bus Eireann/Irish Bus & Anor ([2020] IEHC 160), has awarded damages to a lady who came upon an accident and suffered post traumatic stress as a consequence of her actions in trying to assist. The test for psychological/psychiatric injury cases, also known as ‘nervous shock’, in … Read more
There has been a vigorous debate in Ireland over the last 12 months or so about insurance, the cost of insurance, personal injury claims, bogus claims, excessive awards from the Courts, small businesses struggling to afford rising insurance premiums, and so on. The Courts appear to be showing a greater enthusiasm to scrutinise personal injury … Read more
Courts appear to be scrutinising personal injury claims more closely in a climate of widespread scepticism about the personal injury culture in Ireland. Evidence of this can be seen in the High Court decision in an appeal from the Circuit Court in O’Connell -v- Martin; Ali -v- Martin [2019] IEHC 571. The High Court held … Read more
Maria Bailey, the Fine Gael TD who fell off a swing in a Dublin hotel, the Dean, and brought a personal injury action as a consequence still doesn’t get it, I fear. For in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Independent today she said, “I was holding somebody’s bottle. The bottom line is I was … Read more
It is often claimed that the level of awards in personal injuries claims in Ireland is laughable and out of step with the rest of the developed world. A ‘compo culture’ is a phrase that is regularly thrown around but is there any truth in this? A new report form the Personal Injuries Assessment Board … Read more