Accidents at work are so common and serious that the Government has established the Health and Safety Authority to try to reduce the number of injuries sustained at work every year. Accidents can happen in every kind of workplace. Some, like construction or building sites, carry obvious dangers, but it is perfectly possible for very serious accidents to occur in ordinary offices and shops.

Accidents and injuries at work can include:

• Factory accidents
• Industrial accidents
• Slip and fall at work
• Lifting injuries
• Asbestos exposure
• Toxin exposure
• Sick buildings

The law says that employers have a duty to take reasonable measures to protect the health and safety of their employees. This includes providing proper training and supervision, a safe work environment, adequate machinery and equipment, and capable co-workers. If you are injured while at work, your employer may be responsible for compensating you.

Compensation for Accidents at Work

Many employers carry accident insurance. This means that if you are injured while on the job, your employer’s insurance may be responsible for paying for your injuries. Many employees are reluctant to bring compensation claims against their employers for fear of losing their jobs or suffering other consequences. It is important to remember that employers are legally responsible for providing a safe workplace. You should not let your employer intimidate you or talk you out of seeking compensation you may be entitled to.

Injured workers may be entitled to compensation not only for the injury itself, but also for ongoing pain and suffering, lost wages, and financial expenses such as the following:

• Medical treatment
• Medical devices and equipment
• Rehabilitation services
• Prescription drugs
• Accommodation and transportation adaptations
• Travel expenses

You may not be entitled to compensation if your injury was caused by some fault of your own, but it is worth gathering all the facts before concluding that you were at fault. Your personal injury solicitor will help you make decisions about fault and where it may lie.

Industrial Disease Compensation Claims

Accidents at work are not the only source of injury in the workplace. If an employee contracts a disease in the workplace it can be just as devastating as a physical injury. The Health and Safety Authority tries to eliminate or reduce such diseases by its regulations. Common diseases often contracted in the workplace are dermatitis, chemical poisoning, metal poisoning, or diseases from biological hazards. Some industries are clearly identified as carrying a particular risk of particular disease; pneumoconiosis, for instance, in coalmining.

Slip, trip and fall injuries can occur almost anywhere, from private homes to supermarkets to public pavements. An icy step or a wonky curbstone can mean significant injury and days or even weeks off work.

In many instances, slips and falls are a normal–though unfortunate–part of life. Perhaps we trip over a curb, or simply aren’t looking where we’re going. Other times, however, slips and falls occur because of a hazardous condition on someone else’s property. If you have been injured by a slip or fall, the owner of the property where the accident took place may be responsible.

Following a slip or fall on someone else’s property, you should:

• Request that the property owner or an employee (if in a place of business) document the accident, and obtain a copy of their documentation;
• Take a picture of the hazardous condition if possible;
• Seek medical attention as soon as possible if you think you have been injured;
• Seek help from a solicitor if necessary.

It is important to follow these procedures even if the accident occurs at your workplace. Do not allow your employer to intimidate you or talk you out of documenting the accident and/or filing for compensation. (See also Accidents at Work.)

Slip, Trip and Fall Accident Compensation

The following information may be helpful to you in determining whether you are eligible for compensation for a slip, trip or fall.

All property owners, whether their property is public or private, have a duty to keep their premises reasonably clean and safe, and many carry slip and fall insurance. This means that if you have been injured due to a hazardous condition, the property owner’s insurance may be responsible for paying for those injuries.

A property owner is generally NOT responsible for your injury if:

• You were trespassing at the time the accident took place;
• You were acting carelessly at the time the accident took place, and this contributed to the accident;
• An ordinary person would have noticed the hazardous condition and avoided it;
• The hazardous condition did not exist long enough for the property owner to reasonably discover and correct it;
• The property owner took reasonable steps to prevent the accident, such as placing a barrier or warning sign near the hazardous condition.

A property owner MAY be responsible for your injury if:

• The property owner or an employee caused the hazardous condition;
• The property owner or an employee knew or should have known about the hazardous condition and did not correct it;
• The property owner did not take reasonable steps to prevent the accident, such as placing a barrier or warning sign near the hazardous condition.

Not all of these conditions must be present in order to make a successful claim for an injury — sometimes just one is enough to make the property owner liable. A good solicitor can help you determine whether you have a valid claim for compensation. Accident victims only have a certain amount of time to file a compensation claim, so it is important to file your claim and, if necessary, consult a solicitor as quickly as possible.

Taking a holiday away from home can be extremely costly, and if you are injured while you are away, even costlier. Fortunately, you may be entitled to compensation from your tour operator.

Common examples of accidents that occur on holiday and that may be eligible for compensation include:

• Traffic accidents—either as a driver or passenger
• Food poisoning
• Illness caused by contaminated water
• Skiing and snowboard accidents
• Injury sustained in swimming pools or spas
• Injury sustained during organised excursions such as hiking or biking
• Injury caused by disrepair of hotels or other accommodation

The following information may be useful in determining whether you are eligible for compensation:

• Suffering an injury on holiday often requires costly medical treatment abroad, as well as transport home. You may be entitled to recover some or all of these expenses.
• Suffering an injury on holiday often requires you and your family to return home early, losing money you have paid for accommodation and other expenses. You may be entitled to recover some or all of these expenses.
• Not all countries require their citizens to carry as much insurance as Ireland. When claiming compensation in such instances, defendants may not be as heavily insured as you might expect. However, if you have gone on holiday with a licensed tour operator, it would be normal to make a claim against the tour operator.

Make sure to collect all accident reports, photographs of hazardous conditions, medical bills, medical records and other relevant information before you return home. Filing a claim after you return without all the facts and proper documentation can be difficult, or even impossible.

Car accidents and crashes, also called RTAs (Road Traffic Accidents) can be devastating. According to the World Health Organization, road accidents cause the deaths of 1.2 million people worldwide every year, and injure about forty times that number. If you are ever injured in a road accident, it is important to find out whether you can claim compensation for your injuries. This information can save you critical time and money following an accident.

Car Accident Compensation

The following information may be helpful to you in determining whether you are eligible for compensation:

• All drivers in Ireland are legally obligated to carry third party insurance. This means that if a driver causes injury to another party—even the driver’s own passengers—the driver’s insurance may be responsible for paying for those injuries.
• Even if you are injured by a driver who does not carry third party insurance (or who cannot be located after the accident), you may be able to claim compensation from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI).
• Some injuries that result from road accidents do not appear immediately, but only after several hours or days. Therefore, it is always crucial to telephone the Gardai and file a report immediately following an accident, whether or not you think you have been injured.
• Accident victims only have a certain amount of time to file a compensation claim, so it is important to file as quickly as possible, and where necessary, to consult a solicitor.

After a Car Accident

If you have a case for a claim after an accident, these tips can help you obtain the best possible outcome. Even if you have done something differently, it is still often worth finding out if you can make a claim.

Following a car accident, DO:

• Collect the other driver’s information, such as name, address, vehicle registration number, and insurance information, which can be found on the disc on a vehicle’s windshield.
• Offer your information to the other driver.
• Telephone the Gardai immediately. If they will not attend the scene of the accident, report to the nearest Garda Station and request that they take the details of the accident.
• Seek medical attention as soon as possible if you think you have been injured.

Insurance information is crucial in filing your claim. A Garda report may also be important if the other party turns out to be uninsured or denies the accident occurred. And finally, records from medical care, whenever you seek it, can help to establish injuries if necessary during the claim process.

Following a car accident, DO NOT:

• Admit liability. This includes making statements like “I didn’t see the light/sign/etc.” or “This is all my fault.” Accident victims often make such statements by reflex or out of shock, but this can harm their chances of collecting compensation they are actually entitled to.
• Leave the scene of the accident until you have exchanged information with the other driver and/or the Gardai have told you that you may leave.
• Assume that you cannot claim compensation because the other driver does not carry insurance, or because you do not think you have been injured.

Accident victims are too often denied compensation because they did not take adequate steps following the accident. Find out if you can make a personal injury claim following a car accident or car crash.

Most medical treatment in Ireland is of a high quality, and most professionals working in the medical industry are dedicated to providing you with the best possible care. Nevertheless, mistakes happen in this field just like any other, and they can be painful and costly if they happen to you or a member of your family.

Medical professionals have a duty to ensure that their patients receive the proper treatment in the safest possible manner. This duty applies not only to doctors, but also to nurses, dentists, physiotherapists, midwives, psychiatrists, and other healthcare specialists. If you have been injured due to a medical professional’s mistake or neglect (sometimes referred to as “clinical negligence”), you may be entitled to compensation.

Medical Negligence Claims

Some common forms of clinical negligence for which you may be entitled to compensation include:

• Undiagnosed or misdiagnosed injury or illness
• Administration of the wrong medication or the wrong dosage
• Mistakes during surgery
• Mistakes during childbirth
• Defective medical products such as drugs and implants

Victims of clinical negligence may be entitled to compensation not only for the injury itself, but also for ongoing pain and suffering and for financial expenses such as the following:

• Corrective medical treatment
• Rehabilitative services
• Pain, distress or loss of faculty
• Lost wages
• Loss of future earning capacity
• Support of dependents such as minors

Establishing clinical negligence can be a lengthy and complicated process, requiring sophisticated knowledge of medical procedures and terminology, fact investigation, and reports from experts in the field. In addition, victims of clinical negligence only have a certain amount of time to file a compensation claim. Therefore, it is important to contact a qualified solicitor as soon as possible if you think you have been injured by a medical professional.