An assault accident claim is for the personal injury you suffer when assaulted on the street, on a night out or by a colleague in the workplace. You may suffer a long-term injury, broken bones, PTSD, or be unable to work due to an assault, and you seek compensation in a personal injury claim.

The assault may be a punch to the head, a kick to the ribs or a push-and-shove incident, but you can claim compensation* for the injury. Any assault can affect your life today and in the future.

Assault is a crime, and your assailant may end up in court and even be sent to prison. If the judge does not order compensation to be paid, you may need to take a civil case to retrieve compensation. 

In other cases, you may be able to take a case under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, where you will be heard and compensation awarded if your claim is accepted.

Hughes & Associates Solicitors have the experience in making an assault accident claim to get you the compensation you deserve.

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What is an assault accident claim?

An assault accident claim is the legal process you follow to get compensation for the effects of an assault on your life. You may suffer severe injury, be out of work or need full-time care for life as a result of the unprovoked assault. A personal injury claim can seek compensation for your losses due to an assault.

According to the latest crime figures, there were over 7,000 cases of assault reported in the first four months of 2024—more than 5,000 cases involved males, with over 2,000 assaults on women. The majority of incidents of assault involving males were in the 30-44 age group, with 1,020 cases in Q1 of 2024.

Assault injury can happen to anyone, anywhere, is what the numbers are saying. If you are injured in an assault at work, in the home or even when exercising at the gym, you may be able to make an assault accident claim for compensation.

Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors can look at your case and see if you have a valid assault injury compensation claim*.

Common assault injury compensation claims*

Common assault injury compensation claims* range from a punch to the head in the pub to an attack by a colleague in the office. You can suffer broken bones, cuts and bruises and PTSD from an assault, and you could have a compensation claim*.

Compensation claims* for assault can cover the costs of medical bills, physiotherapy, and the loss of income to the home.

Types of assault injury compensation claims*:

An assault in the workplace compensation claim* is not unusual in Ireland. The workplace often sees disagreements, and sometimes, a small row can escalate into an assault. 

Your employer should have steps in place to defuse any possible assault, but yet they happen, and you could have a compensation claim*.

Some types of assault in the workplace compensation claims*:

  • Assault injury during a dispute in the warehouse
  • Assault in the office during a dispute between colleagues
  • Sexual assault in the workplace injury claim

Hughes & Associates Solicitors can handle your assault in the workplace compensation claim*.

You may suffer an assault in a public place during a night out with friends or even when taking the dog for a walk in the local park. Assault injuries when attacked in public can be a broken cheekbone or a severe concussion.

More and more people are being injured in an unprovoked attack in public in Ireland, and you may have a compensation claim* if it happens to you.

Types of assault in a public place claims can be:

  • Assault with a weapon on the street
  • Cracked skull from being punched to the head when on a night out in the pub
  • Back injury from being pushed over when attacked in the local park

If you are assaulted when in public in Ireland, you could have a compensation claim* for any injuries sustained.

Minor assault injury claims are for the effects of an assault, which may not cause a serious injury yet can have an impact on your life.

You do not need to suffer multiple injuries to make an assault injury claim. The psychological impact of any assault can last for life and make you fearful of going out or mixing with the public again.

Minor assault injury claims can be:

  • The shove from an aggressor causing minor bruising
  • PTSD from a verbal assault from a neighbour
  • Bruising to the leg following a kick from a violent road user

You can discuss any assault with our personal injury solicitors to see if you have a valid injury compensation claim*.

Sexual assault compensation claims* need to be handled with sensitivity and in private by your personal injury solicitor. The details and outcome of the assault may be difficult for the victim of sexual assault to explain, but a good solicitor will be able to help.

Types of sexual assault compensation claims*:

  • Sexual assault in the workplace compensation claims*
  • Sexual assault in the home compensation claims*
  • Sexual assault in a public place compensation claims*

Hughes & Associates Solicitors in Dublin can handle a sexual assault compensation claim* with the understanding and privacy needed.

Security personnel assault injury compensation claims* are among the most common claims in Ireland. 

Any security personnel should be trained and certified before beginning work, but assault can happen, and if you are a victim, you may have a compensation claim*.

Some of the security personnel compensation claims* in Ireland: 

  • Minor assault by the security officer at the supermarket
  • Sexual assault by the security officer at a music festival
  • Physical assault by security personnel outside a club

You could suffer an assault by a security officer anywhere, and you may have injuries like bruising, broken bones and cuts to the face and limbs.

At Hughes & Associates Solicitors, we can use our experience in all types of assault accident claims to make your claim for compensation following an assault.

Compensation for an assault injury claim

Compensation for an assault injury claim may be for when you suffer an injury while on a night out, when attacked in the workplace or in a sexual assault.

The compensation is for the damages suffered today and in the future. You can make a personal injury claim for the assault injury and for the effects of the injury on your life.

There are two types of damages in an assault injury claim in Ireland:

General damages in an assault injury claim will see you compensated for the Loss of Amenity due to the broken bone in the hand or the nerve damage in the back suffered in any assault. 

You may suffer a loss of amenity, such as difficulty walking, exercising or getting to work. 

You can also claim for the Pain and Suffering due to the injury you suffered in the assault.

Special damages in an assault injury claim are for the costs and expenses you will have due to the PTSD from an unprovoked assault or the neck injury when shoved to the ground in an assault from a security officer in the shopping centre.

Special damages in an assault injury claim could be: 

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

A compensation claim* combines the two types of damages due to you when you have one of the many injuries suffered in an assault in Ireland.

A successful claim could see you receive compensation. The compensation you receive will be a combination of the two types of damages. 

Contact Hughes & Associates for help with your personal injury claim today.

The steps to making an assault injury claim

At Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors, we want to make an assault injury claim as easy as possible.

You have the injury from an assault and made the trips to the hospital and the doctors, and we can help you now to take the steps to making a successful personal injury compensation claim*.

The steps are designed to provide an efficient and effective way to make a claim for assault injury compensation.

The first step to make a claim is to contact a personal injury solicitor. You can contact Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors today and outline the issues you have experienced. 

It may be difficult for you to take a personal injury compensation case against an employer or someone you have known for many years, but we can be by your side at every stage.

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, security footage of the incident, and any eyewitness accounts related to your case. 

If you have reported an assault to the Gardai, we can look at the Garda report as part of creating a personal injury case.

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

When the claim is complete, we can make your personal injury claim by sending a letter of claim to the Injury Assessment 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 IAB compensation claim* recommendation. 

When an IAB recommendation is accepted at this stage, the process of providing your compensation will begin. 

When a personal injury claim is rejected, or if you are not happy with the amount of compensation offered, we can begin court proceedings on your behalf.

Submission of the letter of claim to the negligent party is the next step in the assault injury claims process.

In the letter of claim, your solicitor will outline the details of your case and how you suffered injury in an unprovoked assault.

The negligent party could be your employer, the attacker, the property owner or the security company.

In most cases of personal injury, the letter of claim will be handled by the insurers of the negligent party.

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.

Often, a personal injury claim is 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, the process of paying compensation for the
assault injury claim will follow.

What is the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal?

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal was established to compensate victims of a serious crime in Ireland. The Tribunal can assess the impact of a crime on the victim and recommend compensation should be paid.

You may make a claim to the CICB through your solicitor, who will have the experience to handle your claim. The claim can be for the physical injury, the psychological impact of the assault and the material losses you have due to the crime.

To apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal, you must first report the assault to the Gardai. You must also make the CICB application within three months of the assault.

At Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors, we can be with you through every step of the compensation claim* process, including representing you at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal.

How long do you have to make a claim for an assault injury in Ireland?

You have two years to make a claim for an assault injury in Ireland—the two years to make a claim begin from the date of the attack on the street or the punch from a colleague in the workplace.

You could also have a case of ‘date of knowledge,’ which is the date you became aware of the injuries you experienced in the assault.

In such cases, it could be more than two years later that a doctor traces the PTSD or recurring pain directly to the assault when on a night out in town.

In all cases of personal injury, it is recommended that you begin your claim process as soon as possible after an accident. Making a claim as quickly as possible makes it easier to obtain evidence while your memory is fresh and the assault injury is more obvious.

Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors can help with all aspects of your assault injury claim.

Make an assault injury claim today

Make an assault injury claim today by contacting Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors in Dublin.

You could have a compensation claim* if you were injured when assaulted in the workplace, when out shopping or if travelling on public transport.

The cuts and bruises, the cracked skull, the PTSD, the head, neck and shoulder injury, along with the medical bills and the loss of income, could be a direct result of the assault injury.

Contact Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors today for a confidential and professional service with your assault injury claim.

Contact the Hughes & Associates Team

    Phone
    +353 1 891 0020
    Email
    info@hughessolicitors.ie