It’s hard to determine what a personal injury claim is worth because all injuries and all claims are different. Usually, the injury dictates the estimated claim alongside many other issues related to the circumstances of the claim.
In Ireland, due to misinformation, this is very confusing to many, mainly in relation to what people expect to receive out of a claim. Personal Injury Solicitors are often faced with various expectations whereas a client wishes to get a sum of money based on what others may have heard others received from their claims. The truth is it doesn’t work like that, every circumstance is different.
Let’s clear up a few myths and explain how it works in reality
First of all, a personal injury claim will depend on the medical evidence associated with it, a personal injury solicitor will request all GP medical records and those from the hospital, including any X-rays and scans, if applicable. This is followed by a request for a medical report obtained from the person who is treating the claimant, such as a GP or consultant. The medical report will express the severity of the injuries as well as how long the recovery period is expected to be, for which the claimant is hoping to be compensated for.
After this process, the personal injury solicitor will then refer to the book of Quantum. The book of Quantum is a reference guide which lists all of the various types of injuries alongside appropriate compensation estimates in relation to an injury.
Ireland’s Book of Quantum and compensation amounts
When determining a calculation in relation to an injury, the book of Quantum helps to simplify matters by listing the values, although these values are referenced in association with a type of injury and the expected recovery time for Irish claimants, it’s not a cut and dry figure. This is due to when the book was compiled (it’s not thoroughly up to date) since it’s a few years old the rise in inflation has not been factored into those estimates within the book. Another thing the book does not include is the latest Irish court precedents, the age and sex or the general health condition of the claimant.
For example, if an elderly pensioner and an active young person both obtained similar serious injuries, they would not get the same amount of compensation. This is due to the fact that for the younger person, it would be a significantly greater loss of earnings than it would for the elderly person, as well as much higher costs for medical care, due to a much longer life span ahead.
Since the book doesn’t factor in assessment compensation amounts, the injury board will assess instead, and this is generally low. For this reason, it’s better to seek qualified and experienced assistance from a personal injury solicitor who has a greater chance of obtaining a more accurate and through compensation amount in Ireland. They use their legal knowledge and expertise to provide the best outcome for the claimant. They strive to get a realistic amount for the claimant in relation to their injury as well as their need for future assistance with regards to the loss of earnings and medical care.
