After a 12 year hiatus from its first publication, The Injuries Board has now released an updated version of its Book of Quantum (embedded below) which provides estimates of what the average compensation claim awards for different bodily injury types in Ireland.
The Injuries Board Book of Quantum is subtitled‘General Guidelines as to the amounts that may be awarded or assessed in personal injury claims’ and this new edition is far more comprehensive than the previous edition.
The dataset on which it is based is larger and drawn from more sources. Over 51,000 personal injury cases were examined over 2013 and 2014 in order to assess average awards mapped to each injury type. These cases include road traffic accidents (RTA’s) and workplace accident claims amongst others.
These cases included those settled within the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) itself as well as information gleaned from Court Cases (see court award limits here), the State Claims Agency and insurance company* settlements.
*The data that is available from cases that are settled directly between insurance companies and individual plaintiffs is still not generally readily accessible. This is a major bone of contention in the legal industry and despite the industry representative group Insurance Ireland’s promised commitments to more data transparency, this is yet to materialise.
In his press release, the Chief Executive of the Injuries Board stated;
“The updated Guidelines are being published against a backdrop of a lack of data identifying precise causes for increasing motor insurance premiums. Data gaps across the market remain and we reiterate our call for greater data transparency across the insurance market so the factors impacting premiums can be understood.”
More Detailed Information on Bodily Injury Types
The Injuries Board Book of Quantum estimates claim amounts* based on:
(a) location(s) of the bodily injury (e.g. neck)
(b) the type of injury sustained (e.g. whiplash)
(c) the severity of the injury and consequential pain & suffering (e.g. minor soft tissue whiplash with no permanent effects).
Some average award sizes have increased – most notably whiplash now averages €15,700 (an increase of 9%) with severe whiplash neck injuries now being awarded an average of €79,000. These injuries represent a large quantum of car accident claims (with these RTA’s being the largest proportion of claim types amounting to 80% of the total).
*Note that the Injuries Board only provides guidance for damages for pain and suffering nor do they provide specific claims advice on claiming for historical or future loss of earnings. Read more here on why it is important to have a solicitor to guide you through your case rather than going it alone through the PIAB process. The Injuries Board does not deal with medical negligence cases nor generally with compensation for psychological injuries.
The compensation guidelines in this current edition are far more granular and specific than the previous edition.
We have embedded the full book of guidelines below and depending on where you were injured, you can find these sections within the body of the embedded pdf document below;
1. Head Injuries
2. Neck Injuries
3. Back Injuries & Spinal Fractures
4. Upper Limb Injuries
5. Lower limb Injuries
6. Bodily Injuries
IF YOU NEED FURTHER INFORMATION, YOU CAN CONTACT OUR EXPERT TEAM OF PERSONAL INJURY SOLICITORS IN BLANCHARDSTOWN AT 01-8272888 OR USE THE ENQUIRY FORM HERE.
2016 Injuries Board Book of Quantum by sussmag on Scribd
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Anthony Carmody is a qualified solicitor with over 20 years’ experience in leading Dublin law firms. Anthony has specialised in the area of defending personal injury claims representing Insurance companies and Local Authorities, as well as undertaking claimant cases.