Our client was staying in a hostel when he fell from a top bunk and suffered a spinal injury that changed his life. It had a profound effect on him, physically and mentally. A spinal injury of this kind reaches into every part of a person’s life, from mobility and independence to mental health and the ability to plan for the future. Because liability was very much in issue, the claim also had to be built and argued carefully, on strong evidence, rather than simply presented.

How the spinal injury claim was investigated

Rose Sweeney acted for our client. Where a person is injured on the premises of a hostel, the question is whether the party responsible for the premises met the duty of care owed to the people staying there. An engineer was instructed to examine how the fall had happened and what should have been in place to prevent it. Because the injury was so serious, a wide range of additional evidence was needed to demonstrate its full impact and the support our client would need in the years ahead.

A vocational assessor assessed the impact on his ability to work; an assistive technology expert and a nursing expert outlined his care and equipment needs; and a number of medical consultants addressed the injury itself and his prognosis. Together, that evidence put the true scale of the loss before the other side.

The outcome

The spinal injury claim was resolved in 2023 with a settlement of €1 million, reached without admission of liability. Securing a settlement at that level in a case where liability was so strongly contested was a significant outcome, and it provides for the care and support our client will need going forward.

How Coleman Legal helped

Rose Sweeney handled this case throughout. She assembled the engineering and medical evidence needed to meet a disputed liability defence, ensured the full extent of our client’s future care, equipment, and lost earnings was properly evidenced rather than understated, and negotiated with the insurer on his behalf. She kept our client informed at each stage of a difficult and hard-fought spinal injury claim.