Choosing a solicitor for a spinal injury claim matters.
The complexity of the medical evidence, the number of expert disciplines involved, and the potentially significant long-term value of the claim mean that experience in this area makes a genuine practical difference.
Coleman Legal’s personal injury solicitors act for clients across Ireland who have sustained spinal injuries in road accidents, workplace incidents, and other circumstances.
We understand the long-term consequences of spinal damage and approach each case with the seriousness it deserves.
Our partnership with Spinal Injuries Ireland
Coleman Legal LLP works in collaboration with Spinal Injuries Ireland, a national organisation supporting people living with spinal cord injuries.
This collaboration allows our spinal injury solicitors to draw on Spinal Injuries Ireland’s advocacy and lived-experience insights when advising on spinal injury claims, helping to ensure that legal strategies take into account the long-term practical, medical, and social impacts associated with spinal cord injury.
Read more about our collaboration with Spinal Injuries Ireland.
What spinal injury solicitors do
Spinal injury solicitors oversee the legal and procedural aspects of spinal injury claims, whereas medical professionals are responsible for treatment and rehabilitation.
Such claims often require complex medical evidence, long-term care planning, and a detailed assessment of future loss.
The spinal injury solicitors at Coleman Legal LLP have extensive experience handling spinal injury cases, including those arising from accidents and medical treatment.
The firm supports clients throughout the claims process by providing clear information, structured legal advice, and consistent oversight from case initiation through resolution.
This process typically involves:
- Reviewing the circumstances in which the spinal injury occurred
- Assessing whether a legal duty of care existed and whether it was breached
- Obtaining and analysing relevant medical records
- Instructing appropriate medical, engineering, and vocational experts
- Assessing future care needs, accommodation requirements, and financial loss
- Preparing and submitting claims to the Injuries Board
Throughout the process, our team ensures clients are kept informed and supported, with a focus on accuracy, preparation, and procedural compliance.
For a confidential consultation, please call us at 1800-844-104 (free) or email [email protected].
Situations resulting in spinal injury claims
Spinal injury solicitors may be instructed in claims arising from a range of circumstances where an individual has sustained a spinal or spinal cord injury due to the actions or omissions of another party.
Common situations include the following:
- Road traffic accidents: Spinal injuries can occur in collisions involving cars, motorcycles, cyclists, pedestrians, or commercial vehicles. These injuries may result from the force of impact, sudden deceleration, or secondary trauma following a collision.
- Workplace incidents: Workplace spinal injuries may arise from falls from height, unsafe systems of work, manual handling incidents, or accidents involving machinery or equipment.
- Medical treatment: Spinal injuries may result from delayed diagnosis, surgical error, incorrect positioning during procedures, or failures in post-operative care.
- Public liability incidents: Spinal injuries may also occur in public places due to hazards such as unsafe flooring, inadequate maintenance, defective structures, or inadequate crowd control.
- Sporting and recreational activities: In certain circumstances, spinal injuries sustained during organised sporting or recreational activities may give rise to a claim.
Additional details regarding the assessment and progression of these cases are available in the spinal injury claim guide, which provides a comprehensive explanation of the legal process.
Effects and complications considered in spinal injury claims
When progressing spinal injury claims, solicitors consider how the injury impacts day-to-day life and long-term wellbeing.
Depending on the injury, this may include:
- Chronic pain or discomfort
- Impairment of bladder or bowel function
- Circulatory issues, including blood pressure changes or risk of clotting
- Pressure sores due to reduced mobility or sensation
- Respiratory difficulties where the chest or abdomen is affected
- Reduced bone density and increased fracture risk
- Changes in muscle tone affecting movement and posture
- Limitations on physical activity, work, and social participation
- Psychological effects, including anxiety or depression
These factors are critical in assessing the extent of loss and determining future care requirements.
Do I have grounds for a spinal injury claim?
When evaluating a potential claim, spinal injury solicitors review the available evidence to determine whether the legal criteria for liability are satisfied.
- That duty of care was breached through an act or omission.
- The breach directly caused the spinal or spinal cord injury.
- The injury resulted in an identifiable loss, such as medical expenses, loss of earnings, or future care needs.
Further information on how these criteria are applied in practice is available in our spinal injury claim guide, which explains the assessment and progression of claims in more detail.
Statute of limitations for spinal injury claims in Ireland
In Ireland, spinal injury claims are subject to statutory time limits set out under the Statute of Limitations.
These limits apply to personal injury claims arising from accidents, workplace incidents, public liability matters, and medical treatment.
General time limit
In most cases, a spinal injury claim must be initiated within two years, less one day, from the relevant start date.
Spinal injury solicitors evaluate this time limit at an early stage to ensure that claims are brought within the applicable statutory period.
Date from which time runs
The limitation period usually begins on the date of the accident or incident that caused the spinal injury.
In some circumstances, spinal injury solicitors may also consider whether the time limit runs from the date of knowledge.
This refers to the point at which the injured person first knew, or could reasonably have known:
That a spinal injury had occurred
- That the injury was sufficiently serious
- That the injury may have resulted from the act or omission of another party
- This approach is most commonly relevant in certain medical negligence cases involving spinal injuries.
Claims involving children
Where a spinal injury is sustained by a person under 18 years of age, the limitation period does not begin to run until their 18th birthday.
In such cases, spinal injury solicitors generally note that proceedings must be issued before the individual reaches 20 years of age.
Read more about the Statute of Limitations in Ireland.
How spinal injury claims are progressed in Ireland
Most spinal injury claims are initially submitted to the Injuries Board, which assesses personal injury claims in Ireland.
If a claim is not resolved through this process, solicitors may issue court proceedings to progress the matter through litigation or settlement discussions, depending on the circumstances of the case.
To learn more, read the spinal injury claim guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I look for when choosing a solicitor for a spinal injury claim in Ireland?
In Ireland, choosing a solicitor for a spinal injury claim involves considering:
- Their experience with serious personal injury litigation;
- Their familiarity with the expert disciplines required (orthopaedic, neurological, actuarial);
- Their track record in High Court proceedings, which are common in high-value spinal cases, and
- Their ability to communicate clearly with you throughout a potentially lengthy process.
A spinal injury solicitor who acts in catastrophic and serious injury cases regularly will be better placed to advise on the full value of your claim and the most appropriate route to resolution.
How do spinal injury solicitors in Ireland approach high-value or catastrophic injury claims?
In Ireland, solicitors handling high-value or catastrophic spinal injury claims typically instruct a team of experts across multiple disciplines, including orthopaedics, neurology, psychiatry, occupational therapy, and actuarial science, to fully quantify the injury’s impact on the claimant’s life and earning capacity.
These cases are usually litigated in the High Court.
A solicitor experienced in catastrophic injury litigation will also advise on interim payments, case management directions, and the most appropriate structure for any settlement, including whether a lump sum or structured settlement is more suitable given the claimant’s circumstances.
What is the role of a solicitor in managing a spinal injury claim from start to finish?
In Ireland, a spinal injury solicitor is responsible for:
- Assessing the merits of the claim at the outset;
- Lodging the PIRB application and managing that process;
- Instructing and coordinating the expert witnesses;
- Gathering and preserving evidence; advising on offers of settlement; and,
- Where necessary, conducting proceedings in the Circuit Court or High Court.
The spinal injury solicitor also acts as the point of liaison between the client and all other parties, insurers, IRB, and the courts, throughout what can be a multi-year process.
Can Coleman Legal represent clients outside Dublin in a spinal injury claim?
In Ireland, Coleman Legal acts for clients across the country in personal injury and serious injury claims, including spinal injury cases.
While the firm is based in Dublin, serious personal injury proceedings are typically brought in the High Court or the Circuit Court, which sit throughout the country.
Our solicitors can advise and represent clients regardless of where in Ireland the accident occurred or where the client is based.
At what stage should I contact a solicitor after suffering a spinal injury?
In Ireland, you should contact a personal injury solicitor as early as possible after suffering a spinal injury.
The two-year limitation period under the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991 means that legal advice should be sought promptly.
Early instruction also allows your solicitor to preserve evidence, advise on any interim medical or financial supports available, and ensure that all steps are taken in the correct sequence, particularly the mandatory PIRB application that must be lodged before court proceedings can be issued.