The amount of compensation for personal injuries in Ireland plaintiffs will be entitled to is about to be amended with the release of a revised Book of Quantum.
The Book of Quantum is a guide used by the Injuries Board, solicitors, judges and insurance companies in order to assess how much compensation a plaintiff in Ireland is entitled to for a physical injury. The “Book” includes a comprehensive range of physical injuries and assigns them a financial value according to the extent of the injury and its permanence.
The current Book of Quantum was published in 2004 at the time the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (later the Injuries Board) was launched. In recent years the guidelines have been considered out of date and largely ignored in the consideration of court-issued awards of compensation for personal injuries in Ireland. The Book of Quantum has also been criticised for its lack of granularity.
Now, after research into 52,000 personal injury claims settled between 2013 and 2014 – and months of talks between the Injuries Board, the Courts Service and senior judges – an amended Book of Quantum is due to be published in the next few weeks. Those who have seen the work in progress say that the “new” Book of Quantum is a vast improvement on the “current” publication.
In addition to bringing the financial values assigned to physical injuries up to date, the injuries themselves will be classified in more detail. This is so that judges can more accurately compare details on a medical report against the Book of Quantum and award consistent amounts of compensation. The same should apply to insurance companies´ offers of settlement.
Although the revisions to the Book of Quantum are welcomed, it should be remembered that compensation for personal injuries in Ireland consists of just more than a consideration for a physical injury. Any quantifiable psychological injury, loss of amenity or financial loss due to an injury should also be factored into a compensation settlement.
Consequently, in order to ensure you receive a fair and appropriate settlement of compensation for being injured in an accident for which you were not at fault, you should always consult a personal injuries solicitor.