🩹 Can I make a personal injury claim in Ireland?

Most personal injury claims must first go to the Injuries Resolution Board, formerly known as PIAB, which assesses claims outside court. You apply with your medical evidence and an application fee of €45 online. The Board assesses compensation using the Personal Injuries Guidelines, and only if its assessment is rejected does the case go to court.

You generally have two years from the date of the accident, or from when you became aware of the injury, under the Statute of Limitations. If you miss this deadline, your claim is statute-barred and you lose the right to pursue it. The time limit is paused while the Injuries Resolution Board is dealing with your application.

Yes, for most personal injury claims. You must apply to the Injuries Resolution Board and obtain an authorisation before you can issue court proceedings. Some claims, such as those involving wholly psychological injury or certain medical-negligence cases, fall outside the Board's assessment process and may proceed differently.

Compensation is assessed using the Personal Injuries Guidelines, which are used by both the Injuries Resolution Board and the courts to value injuries consistently. Both you and the person responsible must accept the Board's assessment for it to become binding, through an Order to Pay. If either side rejects it, the case can proceed to court.

For an injury to a child under 18, the two-year time limit generally only starts to run when the child turns 18, so claims can be brought later. However, any settlement of a child's claim must be approved by the court to ensure it's in the child's best interests, even where the Board has assessed it.