I have received an offer of €30,000 compensation for a carpenter injury at work for a fall from a roof where I fractured my pelvis. Will I get more compensation if I claim for my carpenter injury?
Eoin P. Campbell, LL.B., Solicitor
Editor in Chief
It is not possible to accurately calculate how much compensation for a carpenter injury at work you will receive if you pursue a claim for a carpenter injury through the Injuries Board or the Irish courts based on the above information. There are many factors which affect how much compensation for a carpenter injury at work can be awarded for an injury, and each individual case is different.
However, it is possible to provide you with the typical range for general damages. This can be obtained from the Book of Quantum. The Book of Quantum is a reference used by the Injuries Board when calculating how much personal injury compensation is applicable to a particular injury. For fractures to the hip or pelvis, the range of compensation for a carpenter injury at work is likely to be in the region of €19,600 to €87,200.
Although the offer of compensation you were made does fall within the above range of compensation for a carpenter injury at work for a fractured pelvis, it is likely that the amount of carpenter injury compensation you have been offered is grossly insufficient. The above range only applies to general damages for pain and suffering, and does not include any loss of earnings or other financial outlay as a result of your injury. If it is likely that surgery is required at a later date, this should also be factored into any compensation settlement.
It is also likely that you will have suffered soft tissue injuries which will need to be added to the carpenter injury compensation figure above. Often men who fracture their pelvis also have associated injuries to the bladder or urinary system, and these should be checked by a doctor and, if applicable, these too should be added to your compensation settlement.
Whenever an insurance company makes an offer of compensation to an accident victim, it is important that a personal injury solicitor is consulted for advice. It is not unusual for low offers to be made by insurance companies as a method of saving costs. A claim for compensation for a carpenter injury at work could well result in an award of a 6 figure sum in your case, highlighting just how large the cost savings can be to an insurance company who trap you into accepting an offer of compensation for a carpenter injury at work.
We therefore strongly recommend that you speak with a personal injury solicitor about the offer and making a claim for compensation for a carpenter injury at work. You will be given an indication of how much carpenter injury compensation you are likely to receive and you can then make the decision about whether to accept the offer or to pursue a claim for a carpenter injury at work through the Injuries Board or the Irish courts.