MacSweeney & Company Solicitors Galway

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Personal Injuries Assessment Board Issues Data

Personal Injuries Assessment Board

The Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) published up to date data, on 5th November 2018, on whiplash-related injury compensation awards arising from road traffic accidents in Ireland.

The publication of this data by PIAB was as a result of a recommendation from the Personal Injuries Commission and involved analysis of approximately 4,500 awards made in the first six months of 2018.

The data published reveals that in this period just under 71% of all personal injury motor cases assessed by PIAB were whiplash-related.

For the purposes of PIAB’s study in cases, where the predominant injury was a soft tissue one to the neck or upper back they were, accordingly, categorised as whiplash-related. Furthermore, where cases included a combination of soft tissue injuries to the neck, shoulder and back they were classified as whiplash-related.

PIAB does not have information on private settlements between insurance companies and claimants.

PIAB’s findings included:

  1. The average PIAB award for a whiplash case was €18,581 in general damages (pain and suffering) plus €1,456 in special damages (payments for medical expenses, loss of earnings etc).
  2. The average whiplash award for a male was €18,126 in general damages plus €1,460 in special damages and for a female it was €19,016 in general damages plus €1,456 in special damages.
  3.  Claimants in 55% of whiplash cases received a total award of between €10,000 and €20,000 in total damages. In 88% of whiplash cases the claimant received a total award of under €30,000.
  4. Awards for injuries not classified as whiplash were an average of €27,386 in total. This was made up of €25,060 in general damages and €2,326 in special damages.
  5. The average total award for all motor cases in this study was €20,472 in general damages and €2,326 in special damages.ersonal injury claims must be submitted to PIAB, unless settled early between claimants and insurers/respondents.
Personal injury claims must be submitted to PIAB, unless settled early between claimants and
insurers/respondents.
 
The average time to assess a case in 2017 was 7.3 months.
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