Average injury claim payout falls

Compensation totaling some €210 million was awarded last year in respect of 9,833 personal injury claimants.

In its review of 2011, Injuriesboard.ie said the highest award granted was €829,444 – the largest payout in its history and more than double the biggest sum received by a claimant in 2010 (€387,286).

The number of awards granted increased by 17 per cent (1,453) and the sum paid out increased by 12 per cent, or €22.8 million, to €209.8 million. The average sum awarded to claimants fell last year by 3.8 per cent to €21,339.

Chief executive Patricia Byron said the drop reflected the reduced number of work-related claims being processed and the fact that lower losses of earnings were being incurred due to reduced salaries across the economy.

More than three quarters of awards (76.5 per cent) were for injuries sustained in road traffic incidents with public (15.1 per cent) and workplace injuries (8.4 per cent) accounting for the remainder.

The average motoring claim amounted to €20,438 with workplace and public liability claims amounting to €27,102 and €22,686 respectively.

Limerick had the highest number of awards per head of population, some 79 per cent above average, with 7.5 per cent of claims paid out coming from the county despite it being home to just 4.18 per cent of the population.

The number of claims received in Longford and Louth were 53 and 45 per cent above the national average while claims were least likely to come from residents of Kilkenny (42 per cent below average), Laois (- 37 per cent) and Roscommon (- 35 per cent).