€10,000 for ‘accident-prone man’ in ninth personal injury claim

A most “unfortunate, accident-prone man” has secured a €10,000 settlement with legal costs in his ninth personal injury claim before Limerick Circuit Court.

Father-of-two, Anthony Lynch (38), of Dromroe, Rhebogue, claimed general damages as a result of a road traffic incident near Thomond Bridge on March 26th last year.

He told Judge James O’Donohue that while he was stopped at a junction in his work van, a car “came out of nowhere” and hit his vehicle from behind, resulting in a “significant impact”.

His van was written off in the incident. When he phoned his boss, he was told to stay in the van. The other driver sped off from the scene, mounting the kerb and hitting the wall of Thomond Bridge as he left.

Mr Lynch was on disability benefit for an earlier back injury and was only allowed to work for a limited number of hours. He went to his GP the following day and had to endure six months of neck, shoulder and lower back pain.

There were also “psychological issues” and he was still receiving pain management injections.

During cross-examination by counsel for Liberty Insurance, Emmett O’Brien BL, the court heard details of Mr Lynch’s eight previous claims spanning 15 years.

Bed collapsed

He suffered an injury to his back as a result of a bed collapsing under him in January of last year, but no legal proceedings arose out that incident.

References were made to an incident where Mr Lynch swallowed a chicken bone while eating a chicken nugget.

Previously, the court heard Mr Lynch secured damages after a “trip and fall accident” on August 13th, 2013, where he successfully sued Eircom and was awarded €12,000 plus legal costs.

In January 2013, he sued Silvercrest Foods and was awarded €7,500 after he claimed he ate horse meat on the day the related scandal broke in Ireland.

In December 2010, he sued a woman with whom he was involved in a road traffic incident. Mr Lynch was awarded €20,000 plus legal costs.

In July 2010, he also initiated proceedings against Homebase House and Garden Centre Limerick after an incident involving a defective toilet seat. He was awarded €20,000.

Noxious fumes

In 2008, he sued Limerick City Council in a case where he claimed he was exposed to noxious fumes. Mr Lynch was awarded €13,000 plus his legal costs.

An accident at work led Mr Lynch to sue Limerick Bread Company and subsequently he was awarded €11,000 plus his legal costs.

In January 2001 he was involved in a road traffic incident and a lawsuit resulted in him being awarded €14,000 plus the costs of his legal team.

In March 1998, a case was also initiated by Mr Lynch and he was awarded £6,000 plus legal costs over a road traffic incident.

He was also involved in an accident in 1996 but the matter did not proceed before court.

Mr O’Brien put it to him that he had five previous cases relating to injuries suffered to his to shoulder, neck and lower back, and those incidents exacerbated his injuries on each occasion.

In his ruling, Judge O’Donohue said that Mr Lynch was a “very unfortunate, accident-prone individual”.

“He has been well compensated in the past”, Judge O’Donohue added as he awarded Mr Lynch €10,000 and legal costs.