Report finds compensation payouts in Ireland are among the highest in the world

Kivaro

It cannot come as a surprise that injury awards in this country are a multiple of those paid in other countries with the average motor claim coming in at around €21,000. This compares with approx. €4,000 in the UK, €1,500 in France and between €2,500 and €6,000 in Germany.

But the most alarming section in the report stated that fraudulent and exaggerated claims carry a low risk of detection and "an even lower risk of prosecution" in Ireland. This is the reason why we see outrageous lawsuits in the courts on a daily basis. The €256K PTSD payout recently comes to mind, which was awarded to the woman hit by a car as she crossed the road even though the lights told her not to. And today we have this wonderful lady (there seems to be an incredible amount of Dublin housewives making multiple compo claims) who was suing for €60,000 damages for personal injuries even though it was obvious that the damage to her car was a result of her backing into a pole. She still got money though.

The report stated that there was a "perfect climate for abuse of the system", so who's to blame?
I blame the judges who appear to just make up numbers (magically) with little consistency in the amounts awarded for the same injury.
I blame the solicitors for driving this compensation culture, and even though we are told that they do not get a certain percentage for awards, legal fees can add 40% to the award amount.
But most of all I blame the government for allowing this to happen, without any concern to the citizens of this country who are actually paying for these outrageous awards.

The good news coming from this report is that judges are now being told to slash payouts with a recommendation that judges should "get together and compile new guidelines on appropriate compensation levels." Judges should not be setting these guidelines though .............. it needs to come from an 'impartial' entity.

McMurphy

The report stated that there was a "perfect climate for abuse of the system", so who's to blame?

When govt TDS (who sit on PAC) are even at the dodgy claims, you could say the system is broken.

The judge said: "There is little or no notation to back up a claim of significant whiplash." During proceedings, a photograph was shown of Mr Farrell at the top of a ladder with his hands on an election poster, taken four months after the accident. Mr Farrell said the photo was staged.

It is understood that Hertz will have to pay legal costs, estimated at €10,000. Mr Farrell did not return calls, and Fine Gael said it was not commenting.

Backbench TD does himself no favours taking compensation claim for a 'very minor' injury

Victor Meldrew

The Info has been highlighting the fraudulent claims being challenged by insurers.

There is a recurring profile of the fraudsters, and if they could implement a level of compensation akin to the lower end of what our EU neighbours cough up, we would kill this BS stone dead.

A drop to even German or UK payouts for "whiplash" would be great.

Also serial claimants should be barred from second claims unless they lose a limb or end up with genuine life changing injuries at the upper end of the scale.

Walks like duck, talks like a duck....

The Judges need a kick up the proverbial with their largesse with our premiums.*

*note, fully accept that insurance companies have protectionist policies and price gouging practices too.

But if the claims were 4k rather than 21k, things would be different.

Hector Bellend

I was a claims handler for a number of years.

Some of the awards are incredible. The legal profession has a lot to answer for.

Mike Hoch

The insurers try and claim that nuisance claims are the cause of inflated premiums.

There's an ad on TV with the tag line "it's not funny when it's your money" I'm fairly sure it states that the average premium is inflated by something fairly piddling like 50 euro per annum due to insurance fraud.

How can they claim that premiums that have went up by maybe triple per year (say, from 300 to somewhere close to grand) are due to the pressures of nuisance claims, but then claim on TV it's adding a rather paltry figure per year?

Insurance firms are an organised extortion racket. Mandatory insurance i.e. cars should be sold by a state body on a non profit basis, at least for 3rd party cover.

enricoh

The headline in the Sunday times last week was that payouts here are 4.4 times what they are in the UK. Fair play to Alan shatter, he increased the limits the courts could dole out, and dole it out they have.
People are flying in to the country just to have crashes ffs. I'm sure a committee will be set up to look at it... Again!

titan18

Some of the insurance companies are the cause of it too by letting claims go to courts. I know of one insurance company that let all claims go and refuse to payout as long as possible in the hopes the claimant gets fed up and gives up even if the amounts being asked for in settlement are much less than the courts end up giving out for the ones who do persist.

Father Hernandez

This was a good one too:

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/man-who-slipped-on-tiles-of-council-house-awarded-105k-816527.html

Seems easy enough, might look into it, everyone else is!

Bellerstring

http://https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/judge-tells-housewife-claim-of-substantial-damage-to-car-could-not-have-come-from-minor-tip-37160119.html
Looks like we're not taking this lying down any more....

mikemac2

My favorite was the Dublin women who went to a restaurant. The manager was courteous and held out her chair, she sat down, banged her knee off a leg of the table which was under the table cloth and got awarded €18,000

Who knew tables have legs?!?

Atoms for Peace

Bellerstring wrote: »

http://https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/judge-tells-housewife-claim-of-substantial-damage-to-car-could-not-have-come-from-minor-tip-37160119.html
Looks like we're not taking this lying down any more....

Hah! Despite obviously being a shameles liar and cheat she still got €5,000 in costs. She should be up for attempted fraud and perjury.

the_syco

Victor Meldrew wrote: »

A drop to even German or UK payouts for "whiplash" would be great.

I think the UK pays the hospital directly to treat the injury?