Claim Against the MIB Resolved in Court

A woman, who sustained arm and back injuries after being run over by a driver who subsequently left the scene of the accident, has been awarded 79,000 Euros in compensation in a claim against the MIB.

Siofra O´Loughlin (24) from Rolestown in Dublin brought the claim against the Motor Insurers´ Bureau Ireland after she was injured while playing with friends on the Dollymount Beach, Dublin. In her accident injury compensation claim Siofra alleged that she had slipped and fallen face down while trying to retrieve a ball, at which time a car had reversed over her arm – fracturing her humerus and grazing her back.

Both the police and an ambulance attended the scene and in Siofra´s report to the police, she stated that the driver of the car had stopped a short distance away, looked back at her, and then returned to his car and driven away. Despite receiving immediate medical treatment, Siofra had to later undergo surgery for her fractured humerus as the bone had failed to knit properly and, as Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill at the High Court in Dublin heard, Siofra still feels pain from the injury during inclement weather.

The Motor Insurers´ Bureau Ireland disputed Siofra´s claim against the MIB, alleging that she had initially told the police a different version of events. However, Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill heard evidence that Siofra was dazed and confused immediately after the accident happened and stated in court that he believed Siofra was an honest witness who had given a truthful account of what had happened to her.

The judge awarded Siofra 79,000 Euros compensation for her claim against the MIB, plus the costs of pursuing her action.