Coleman Legal LLP Logo

Latest News

Newsletters

Defective Blocks Redress Coleman legal LLP

Defective Blocks

Defective Blocks newsletter and latest updates.

Read More

Mother and Baby Home Coleman legal LLP

Mother & Baby Homes

Mother and Baby Homes redress newsletter and latest updates.

Read More

CAMHS Misdiagnosis Coleman legal LLP

CAMHS Review

CAMHS newsletter and latest updates.

Read More

Acquired Brain Injury Claim

If you, or a member of your family, have experienced an acquired head or brain injury, or if a brain injury is sustained following birth or medical or surgical procedures, you should consult one of our experienced brain injury claim Solicitors at the earliest possibility. For a confidential consultation, please call us at 1800-844-104 for free or email [email protected].

Table of Contents

    What is an acquired brain injury?

    An acquired brain injury is sudden damage to the brain that occurs when an outside force is applied to the brain or body and affects the brain’s functioning. Common causes include assaults, falls, car crashes, birth injuries, and sports injuries. The injuries range from mild concussions to severe permanent brain damage. Traumatic brain injury can have wide-ranging physical and psychological effects. Consequently, each person is affected in different ways. Symptoms may appear directly after the traumatic event or manifest in the following days and weeks. A GP and/or Consultant Neurologist will diagnose the existence and extent of the injury.

    Types of brain injury claims?

    1. Acquired Brain Injury

    A brain injury after birth is not hereditary, congenital, or degenerative. Acquired brain injuries can be traumatic or non-traumatic.

    The consequences of an acquired brain injury

    The long-term effects of an acquired brain injury can be challenging to predict. How it is presented will differ for everyone; symptoms can range from mild to profound. They will depend on factors such as the injury’s nature, severity, and location. They will also depend on the person’s abilities and personality before suffering the injury. It may take some time after an accident to recognise the presence of an acquired brain injury, particularly where there is no visible external injury. Common changes: Often, people with an acquired brain injury will have increased mental and physical fatigue and some slowing down in how they process information. They may also experience behavioural, personality changes as well as physical, and cognitive changes.

    Examples of acquired brain injury

    • Stroke: A type of ABI caused by disruption of blood flow to the brain. Symptoms may include paralysis, difficulty speaking or understanding language, and loss of cognitive abilities.
    • Anoxic brain injury: An ABI caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain. This can be caused by drowning, suffocation, or other events that limit oxygen supply. Symptoms may include memory loss, confusion, and difficulty with movement.
    • Brain tumour: An ABI caused by the growth of a tumour in the brain. Symptoms may include seizures, headaches, and changes in mood or behaviour.

    2. Traumatic brain injury

    A traumatic brain injury is a sudden damage to the brain which occurs when an outside force is applied to the brain or body that affects the brain’s functioning. Common causes include assaults, falls, car crashes, and sports injuries. The injuries range from mild concussions to severe permanent brain damage.

    Examples of traumatic brain injury

    • Concussion: A type of mild TBI commonly caused by a blow to the head. Symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, nausea, and memory problems.
    • Contusion: A more severe form of TBI caused by a direct impact to the head. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness, cognitive impairments, and physical disability.
    • Penetration injury: A TBI caused by an object penetrating the skull and damaging brain tissue. Symptoms may include seizures, paralysis, and cognitive impairments.

    3. Non-traumatic brain injury

    A non-traumatic injury is not a result of an external physical force. Instead, it can be caused by an illness or condition within the body; these include metabolic disorders, heart attacks, tumours, aneurysms, hydrocephalus, hypoxia, etc. A non-traumatic injury may also be caused by medical negligence.

    Brain Injury Claim Process

    When choosing a solicitor to deal with brain injury claims, it is very important to choose a specialist with extensive experience in these claims. Brain injury claims are more complex than most other injury cases and require your solicitor to work with you and your family to establish the exact nature and extent of your injury and how it affects your life. Your advice will be tailored to your specific circumstances, and your solicitor will help the right experts to access and value your claim. Your solicitor will guide you through every step of the brain injury claim process.

    Immediate steps to take

    1. Contact a Solicitor

    There is generally a time limit of two years, less than one day from the date of the injury, within which you must bring this type of claim if you are over 18. If the injured party is under 18, their parent or guardian can bring a claim for them. So, it is important to contact a brain injury claim solicitor as soon as you are medically able to do so.

    2. Record all Details of the Incident

    You must comprehensively note everything you can recall regarding how the injury was incurred. It may be hard to do this following an injury of this nature, and therefore, it might be necessary to have the assistance of a family member or friend. A detailed record will significantly assist your solicitors when dealing with your case.

    Things to include in the record are

    1. How the accident happened?
    2. Where the accident happened?
    3. What you were doing at the time of the accident?
    4. Who you were with at the time of the accident?
    5. What medical treatment did you receive immediately following the accident
    6. Any other information you feel is relevant

    Coleman Legal LLP will help you obtain your medical records.

    3. Get copies of your medical records

    You will need to obtain all test results, radiology reports,  doctors’ notes, nurses’ notes and all other reports from the hospital you attended at the time of the accident and any subsequent hospital or rehabilitation facility you have attended. You will also need to obtain all medical records maintained by your GP. Access to these records will assist in progressing the preliminary stages of your case.

    Can I recover compensation?

    It is possible to recover compensation; however, it depends on how the injury was inflicted. For example, suppose the injury was a result of an assault. In that case, a victim can bring an action against the perpetrator and also seek compensation from the criminal justice compensation tribunal, or if the injury was a result of a road traffic accident, there may be an option to bring a claim for personal injuries against the driver (of the other car or the car the victim was a passenger in). A solicitor can just let you know about the nature of the claim that can be brought.

    Compensation amount

    How much compensation you receive for a brain injury claim is dictated by two legally binding documents known as:

    The “Book of Quantum” and the recently published Personal Injuries Guidelines by the Judicial Council of Ireland. The Book of Quantum dictates how much compensation you are owed if your Authorisation was received from PIAB before the 21st of April 2021. In all other cases, compensation for general damages is assessed with the Judicial Council’s Personal Injuries Guidelines. The Book of Quantum sets general guidelines for the amounts that may be awarded or assessed in Personal Injury Claims. The guidelines are divided into sections depending on the injury category, e.g., head injuries, neck injuries, back injuries and spinal fractures, upper limb injuries, lower limb injuries, and body and internal organs. The Book of Quantum identifies four steps to assess appropriate compensation for the suffered injury. These steps are as follows:

    1. Identify the category of injury
    2. Assess the severity of the injury (through medical reports and records)
    3. Research the value range
    4. Consider the effect of multiple injuries

    The Judicial Council adopted the Personal Injuries Guidelines on the 6th of March 2021. Similar to the Book of Quantum, this legal document sets out guidelines for assessing compensation regarding general damages. The general principles for this assessment centre on three criteria:

    1. Awards of damages must be fair and reasonable to both the claimant and the defendant(s)
    2. Awards must be proportionate to the injuries sustained
    3. Awards must be compared on a scale of injuries that are both of a lesser and greater magnitude

    One of the most substantial differences brought about by this update is that the average level of damages awarded has been reduced. However, the new guidelines have provided more details and explanations for claimants, which is a welcomed change to the process of making a personal injury claim.

    Statute of Limitations

    You have two years from the date of the accident within which to issue proceedings for a brain injury claim. If you are under 18, a separate set of rules apply, and we would recommend you contact our solicitors to talk about these. To learn more about the statute of limitation for a brain injury claim, click here.

    Support groups

    1. Headway

    Headway Ireland provides services and support for people affected by Acquired Brain Injury in Ireland. We aim to maximise potential and quality of life. Learn More

    2. Acquired brain injury in Ireland

    We help rebuild lives after brain injury through neuro-rehabilitation. Our mission is to enable people with an acquired brain injury to live independently with choice, respect, and the opportunity to contribute. Learn More

    Our team

    Coleman Legal LLP Team

    If you have been involved in an accident or suffered an injury at the hands of another person, we would advise all persons to contact our brain injury claim solicitors at the earliest available opportunity. We represent clients in various brain injury claims, road traffic accidents, workplace injuries, serious injuries, medical negligence, and public liability claims. Please take some time to browse our website to learn more about the services we offer as a brain injury claim solicitors practice in Dublin. If you want to take legal action over a personal injury, you should consult our injury solicitors, who are members of the Law Society’s injury accreditation scheme and clinical negligence accreditation scheme. Contacted us at:

    Coleman Legal LLP

    Solicitors
    84 Talbot Street, Dublin 1
    D01 YX60

    Contact Details

    Free Phone: 1800-844-104
    Fax: (01) 5312727
    Email: [email protected]
    Web: www.colemanlegalpartners.ie
    Online Enquiry Form: Apply

    Request a Callback

    Clodagh Magennis

    Clodagh Magennis

    Head of Client Services

    P: 1800-844-104
    E: [email protected]

    ”At Coleman Legal, excellence in customer care is paramount. We aim to meet both prospective and existing client’s needs in a professional, engaging, and friendly manner with a clear objective to give quality legal advice and reach a positive outcome.”

    View Profile