A public event claim in Ireland is for the injury in an accident in a public space. You can claim compensation for a personal injury at an event open to the public in Ireland.

The owner of the property has a duty of care at public events. If they breach that duty of care, causing you an injury, you may have a personal injury claim*. You can claim for a personal injury in a slip, trip and fall at the music festival or when on a night out in town.

A personal injury solicitor can make your public event claim in Ireland. Making a public liability claim is easy with the right personal injury solicitor working for you.

Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors can make your public event claim for compensation.

Contact Hughes & Associates for help with your Public Event Claim

What are public event injury claims?

Public event injury claims in Ireland are for personal injury in an accident in a public place. You claim compensation for the torn muscle, the nerve damage and the broken bones suffered at an event in a public place.

In 2024, there we re over 20,000 claims made to the Injuries Board in Ireland. Of the claims made, 17% were for public liability, the personal injury in a public area. 1,076 awards of compensation for public liability personal injury were made in 2024. The average compensation paid was €21,377 for public liability injury.

Common types of public events:

  • Music concert
  • Comedy night
  • School play
  • Sports events
  • Open-air markets
  • Organised walks
  • Weekend fairs
  • Music festivals
  • Weekend festivals

Common types of injuries at public events:

  • Slip, trip and fall injuries
  • Crush injuries
  • Broken bones
  • Assault injuries
  • Cuts and bruises

Injury in an accident at a public event in Ireland can impact your life today and in the future.

Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors in Dublin can make your compensation claim* when injured at a public event.

Common injury claims at a public event

The common types of claims when injured at a public event in Ireland range from a torn muscle in a slip at the weekend festival to an eye injury in a trip at a comedy gig in town.

You make a compensation claim* for the effects of the personal injury at a public event.

Types of claims for personal injury at a public event:

  • Slip, trip and fall injury at the weekend festival
  • Nerve damage when crushed at a gig
  • Injury when at a sports event
  • Slip, trip and fall injury at an outdoor market
  • Assault injury at an event in the pub

Slip, trip and fall injury at the weekend festival

A slip, trip and fall injury at the weekend festival is a common compensation claim* in Ireland. The festival organiser has a duty of care to visitors, and an injury can quickly happen when they breach this duty.

Types of injury at a weekend festival:

  • Torn ankle ligament in a slip on a muddy path
  • Broken wrist in a trip over loose cables
  • Scarring after a fall from a height at a music gig

Hughes & Associates Solicitors will make your public event injury compensation claim*.

Nerve damage when crushed at a gig

The nerve damage when crushed at a gig can keep you off work for a time. You may need intensive physical therapy and have medical bills to pay after the injury at a gig.

Types of nerve damage suffered at a gig:

  • Shoulder nerve injury when crushed by the crowd
  • Injury to nerves in the leg when crushed against a barrier
  • Nerve damage in the back when crushed at the exit from a gig

Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitor in Dublin, will make your public event injury compensation claim*.

Injury when at a sports event

Injury at a sports event in Ireland can happen to an adult, teenager, or child. The local club or sporting organisation must ensure the safety of participants and those attending the public event.

Types of injury at a sports event in Ireland:

  • Crush injury when watching a match due to poor stewarding
  • Broken leg in a slip on wet leaves at the local club
  • Head, neck and shoulder injury in a fall on broken steps

Hughes & Associates Solicitors in Dublin will handle your public event injury compensation claim*.

Slip, trip and fall injury at an outdoor market

The slip, trip and fall injury at an outdoor market is a personal injury compensation claim* in Ireland. The management company must keep the area safe for all users of the event and conduct regular risk assessments.

Types of injury at an outdoor market event:

  • Cuts and bruises in a slip on a wet path
  • Broken fingers in a trip over uncollected rubbish
  • Back injury in a fall from a high step at a stall

Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors will make your public event injury compensation claim*.

Assault injury at an event in the pub

An assault injury at an event in the pub can happen when there is a low level of security. You may also suffer an assault injury when the event in the pub is not managed correctly.

Types of injury at an event in the pub:

  • Head injury when punched at a music gig in the pub
  • Internal organ damage when kicked at an event in the pub
  • Nerve damage from assault at a gig in the beer garden

Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors will make your public event injury compensation claim* in Dublin.

Who is responsible for an injury at a public event?

The organiser of the event may be responsible for an injury at a public event in Ireland. If you suffer an injury, you can make a claim against the organiser of the public event.

The event organiser has a duty of care to those attending the event. If the event organiser breaches that duty of care, causing you a personal injury, you may claim compensation.

Responsibility for an injury at a public event may be with:

  • The public event organiser
  • The owner of the public event venue
  • A contractor at the public event
  • Security at the public event
  • Catering company at the public event
  • Providers of medical care at the public event
  • Individual stall holders at the public event

Duty of care at a public event can range from keeping pathways safe for use in any weather to ensuring the event’s security and conducting risk checks throughout the area.

We can look at the details of your public event injury and see if you have a compensation claim*.

Compensation for injury at a public event in Ireland

Compensation for injury at a public event in Ireland is for the injury you suffer when you slip on a muddy footpath at a festival or for the trauma suffered in an assault on a night out at a music gig.

The compensation is for the damages suffered today and in the future.

There are two types of damages in a public event claim in Ireland:

General damages in a public event claim will see you compensated for the Loss of Amenity due to the slip, trip and fall accident at the weekend festival or the nerve damage when injured at a sports event. 

You may have problems due to the injury, such as difficulty in walking, exercising or in getting to work. 

You can also claim for the Pain and Suffering due to the injury you suffered in a public event accident.

Special damages in a public claim are for the costs and expenses you incur due to injury in a fall while attending a concert, or the trip over loose cables at the comedy gig in a club.

Special damages in a public event accident claim could be: 

  • Medical costs
  • Physical therapy costs
  • Loss of earnings
  • Travel costs 
  • Cost of care
  • Cost of aids and equipment 

A public event injury claim in Ireland seeks compensation by combining the two types of damages.

A successful claim could see you receive compensation for the injury when at a public event that was not your fault. The compensation you receive will be a combination of the two types of damages.

How to make a public event personal injury claim*

To make a public event personal injury claim*, you should contact Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors.

Any personal injury claim*, like a leg injury when you slip on the broken paving at a sports match, can take time, but we can help you make a successful compensation claim*.

Our steps are designed to provide an efficient and effective way to make a public event personal injury compensation claim*.

The first step to making a claim is to contact a personal injury solicitor. You can contact Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors today and outline what happened to you at the public event. 

Taking a compensation case against the organisers of the sports event or the management of a local bar owner for a personal injury may be difficult. 

We will take the time to understand your situation and build a professional relationship with you. 

You and your solicitor work together to create your compensation case. 

One of the main aspects of this step is to gather evidence. We will want to look at your medical records, health and safety risk assessment, CCTV footage and any other accounts related to your case. 

The solicitor helping you with the case will know what areas of evidence to cover and what will help your case. 

When the claim is complete, we can make your public event claim by sending a letter of claim to the Injuries Board, previously known as the Personal Injury Assessment Board, PIAB.

The Board will assess your case and recommend a compensation payment, or they may reject your case. 

The solicitor or insurance company for the guilty party has several weeks to reply to the Injuries Board compensation claim* recommendation. 

When a claim is accepted at this stage, the process of providing your compensation will begin. 

If a personal injury claim* is rejected or if you are not satisfied with the compensation offered, we can initiate court proceedings on your behalf.

Court proceedings can be the next step if the defendant rejects the claim or you feel you should receive more in compensation.

Court proceedings are rare, although your Hughes & Associates solicitor will be prepared. We may look to gather further evidence to support your claim when it comes to a court hearing. 

A public event claim is often settled on the morning of the court case when the guilty party realises you are not backing down, and they look at your evidence.

When the court case is successful, compensation for the personal injury claim* will be paid. 

Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors will be with you from day one and will help make a successful compensation claim*.

Contact Hughes & Associates for help with your public event personal injury Claim

FAQs about Event Injury Claims in Ireland

Contributory negligence is when your own actions may have partially caused your personal injury in a public event accident.

An injured person’s actions may have contributed to the accident, but it does not mean that the landowner, event organiser, or bar owner did not breach their duty of care.

If the public event organiser is not insured, they can be personally accountable for all costs and damages involved in a compensation claim* in Ireland.

It may take longer to process a claim against an uninsured public event, but the organiser will have to pay your compensation.

Yes, you can make a public liability claim in Ireland. The organisers of a public event have a duty of care to all attendees.

If they breach that duty of care, leading to a personal injury, you can make a public liability claim.

A solicitor can help with a public liability claim by giving you sound legal advice from day one.

Your personal injury solicitor can help by:

  • Assessing liability for the personal injury
  • Helping you gather evidence
  • Submitting a claim to the Injuries Resolution Board (formerly PIAB)
  • Negotiating a fair settlement for you
You have two years from the day of your injury to make a claim for personal injury compensation.

In cases when you only realise you suffered a personal injury after the two-year time limit, you may have what is known as a ‘date of knowledge’ clause. The date of knowledge is the date when you first became aware of the injury.

A personal injury claim* in Ireland can take anywhere from one year to more than 18 months. Injury Board assessments can take time, and you may need to be patient.

If the organiser of the public event disputes a claim, it may need to go to court, which can take longer, but your solicitor will know what to do for you.

No, you will not have to go to court with a personal injury claim* in Ireland, but you may need to go to court in some cases.

A claim may go to court if the organiser disputes your claim after the Injuries Board makes an assessment, or if you feel you are not awarded enough compensation.

A good personal injury solicitor will know how to take a personal injury claim* to court.

Make a Public Event Injury Claim today

Make a public event injury claim today by contacting Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors in Dublin.

You could have a compensation claim* if you were injured in a slip, trip and fall accident when at a weekend festival or if you were assaulted at a gig in town or suffered injury when attending a GAA match.

The back injury, psychological damage, deep cuts and bruises and other types of personal injury can impact your life, and you may have a public event compensation claim*.

Contact Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors today for a confidential and professional service with a public event injury compensation claim*.

Contact the Hughes & Associates Team