News and Press Releases
InjuriesBoard.ie Publishes Review of 2009
€200m awarded to 8,645 claimants
New claims rose modestly in 2009 but workplace accident claims fell
No surge in weather related claims anticipated in 2010
Compensation totalling €200million was awarded in respect of 8,645 personal injury claimants in 2009 according to preliminary year-end data from InjuriesBoard.ie.
Since 2004, all personal injury claims in Ireland (excluding medical negligence) must be processed through InjuriesBoard.ie. Claimants can apply directly to the Board, either online or by post.
The average award of €23,163 in 2009 was 6% lower than in 2008, but 5% up on the 2007 average. Nearly three quarters of awards (72%) were for injuries from road traffic accidents while the remainder were split between workplace (11%) and public space (17%) accidents. The average workplace award was €32,000 in 2009, almost 48% higher than motor awards which averaged €21,800.
"Each year we handle an entirely new set of claims so variations in the average award will occur from year to year. In the year ahead, we would anticipate that the average award may fall as we deal with less workplace accidents, which tend to attract the higher awards" commented Patricia Byron, Chief Executive of InjuresBoard.ie.
New claims made to the Board in 2009 rose by almost 5%. Workplace accident claims were down by 6.5% due to less people at work, while motor claims and public liability claims rose by 7.5% and 6%, respectively. Ms Byron commented "the volume of new motor and public liability claims submitted to us has picked up in the last quarter of 2009, but there is little evidence yet of a sustained surge in personal injury claims arising from the recession, as some had forecast."
Ms Byron said that there had been no rise in claims to date arising from the adverse weather conditions at the end of 2009 and in the first half of January 2010. "Of course it's early days still and we will handle any claims which are made in the normal way. Despite the high number of injuries sustained from trips and falls in recent weeks, the expectation is that few will result in claims as compensation would only arise if the injury arose from negligence by another party."
The lowest and highest awards in 2009 were €1,000 and €493,902 respectively. The data released indicates that 88% of awards made by the Board are for less than €38,000, a figure which is in line with data on Court awards.
Patricia Byron said that InjuriesBoard.ie has continued to fulfil its mission to deliver assessments on personal injuries claims fairly, promptly and transparently. "We have now made over 32,000 awards since we opened our doors in 2004, amounting to €730m in compensation. By delivering these awards four times faster and with a low administration charge, the InjuriesBoard.ie model has delivered direct and indirect savings of over €300m to the economy. The Board's services are delivered at no cost to the Exchequer as it is funded through fees charged, by and large, to insurers. In 2010 we will continue to deliver an efficient service without an increase in the fees paid by claimants or respondents."
Key facts
| | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
|---|
| No. of new Claims | 25,919 | 24,722 | 23,345 |
| No. of Awards | 8,645 | 8,845 | 8,208 |
| Total value of awards | €200m | €217m | €181m |
| Average awards | €23,163 | €24,552 | €22,057 |
| Average time to process claim | 6.5 months | 7 months | 7 months |
| % of awards under €38,000 | 89% | 88% | 91% |
| | Motor | Employer Liability | Public Liability |
|---|
| % of total awards | 72% | 11% | 17% |
| Average award in 2009 | €21,800 | €32,000 | €24,800 |
Ends
Thursday, 21 January 2010
For Reference:
InjuriesBoard.ie
Gerry Naughton s
Tel.: 01 4634565
086 239 4265
Murray Consultants Limited
Pat Walsh/Avril Collins
Tel.:01 4980300
087 2269345/086 3964368
Note for Editors