Despite the presence of the Injuries Board which is intended to make engaging a solicitor in personal injury* cases unnecessary, most people still prefer to use the services of claims solicitors in Ireland.
Before you make a claim for compensation to the Injuries Board, you may have questions regarding the process. If, like almost 90% of Irish claimants, you do not have faith in the Injuries Board system and you are in need of advice from a claims solicitor, call our free advice line today or complete the call-back form on the left and one of our team will get back to you at the time you specify. There is no obligation on your part for availing of this free service.
Why Do I Need a Claims Solicitor?
This public lack of confidence in the Injuries Board is justified by the fact that the Injuries Board does not give legal advice. They are not there to help you make a stronger case for compensation and will not advise you on correcting mistakes in your application which may have a negative effect on your claim.
If, for example, you sustained a back injury in a motorbike accident and your motorbike was written off in the same incident, you would be entitled to claim compensation both for your pain and suffering and for the damage to your property. However, if you did not include the cost of replacing or repairing your motorbike in the claim you lodge with the Injuries Board, they will not contact you to inform you that you can do so.
Some injuries, especially those to the back and neck, take a long time to heal or become worse over time and develop into chronic conditions. If you take a claim to the Injuries Board by yourself, they will not advise you to get follow up medical reports to demonstrate the ongoing and long-term affects of your injury.
A solicitor on the other hand will have the experience to know that a case like yours should be assessed based on the effects of your injury both on your ability to work and on your enjoyment of life into the future.
In cases where there may be a likelihood of ongoing physical pain or disability, insurance companies often contact the victim and make a paltry offer in the hope of a quick and cheap settlement. If you accept the insurance company offer based on your current state of health and in the expectation of full recovery in six months, but the injury continues to cause you pain and suffering after two or three years, you cannot go back and ask for more money.
A claims solicitor knows this and will do his best to ensure that you do not fall for weak insurance company offers and that your final settlement is based on your medical condition now and into the future. Similarly, without any experience of the personal injury* claims system the only way an average person would know if an Injuries Board assessment is fair is by referring it to his solicitor.
Dealing with Contributory Negligence
In many personal injury* cases, the victim was himself partly to blame for the accident. This is expressed as a percentage of ‘contributory negligence’. If your contributory negligence is 25%, your final settlement would be reduced by that much.
It is very much in the insurance company’s favour for their lawyers to present evidence that maximises your contributory negligence and decreases your settlement. A claims lawyer, on the other hand, will counterbalance this by presenting your case in a way that will minimise your contributory negligence and ensure you receive a fair settlement.
Fight Fire with Fire
No matter whether your injuries were caused in a traffic accident or at work, school or in the supermarket and even if you name an individual as the defendant (known as a respondent in personal injury* cases), it is that individual’s insurance company who will be fighting your claim.
Engaging a claims solicitor from the outset ensures that your case is presented powerfully and with complete and thorough supporting documentation. It also ensures that you have included all aspects of compensation that you are entitled to and gives you the confidence to reject a sub-standard insurance company offer or Injuries Board Ireland assessment.
The easiest next step is to call our free advice line.
If you cannot speak to us now, simply fill in the contact form above to request a call from us at any time that is convenient for you.