Personal Injuries Resolution Board (PIRB): What you need to know

The Personal Injuries Resolution Board is in the news a lot these days, with news of people getting compensation for personal injuries, but what is the PIAB, and how does it work?

The PIAB has been around for over 20 years and is used every day of the week. Now known as the Injuries Board, it is there for people when making a claim, and for most claimants, it makes the process much easier.

Let’s take a look at the PIAB and how it can work for you when making a claim.

The PIAB, now known as the Injuries Board, was established in 2004 by the government to simplify the personal injury compensation process. The Board quickly moved to streamline the processing of personal injury claims*.

Known as the Injuries Board since December 2023, the board handles injury claims for:

In 2024 alone, the Injuries Board handled over 20,000 personal injury claims* and awarded €168 million in compensation. Of the claims processed in 2024, 68% were road traffic accident claims, 17% were public liability claims, and 13% were workplace accident claims. The highest award of compensation was €592,000, and the average was €19,482.

The PIAB reviews each claim submitted through its system on its merits and decides whether to accept it as worthy of further investigation.

All personal injury claims* in Ireland must first go through the Injuries Board portal, and if the Injuries Board accepts the claim as valid, it will invite both parties to mediation.

If the case is straightforward, the PIAB will decide on compensation after the mediation process is completed and will recommend how much should be paid for the personal injury claim*.

The PIAB claims process works for everyone by following a few easy steps. If you have suffered a personal injury that was not your fault, or only partially your fault, you can start the Injuries Board process.

You do have to go through the PIAB for most personal injury claims* in Ireland. Some people, though it is not recommended, choose to deal directly with the other side and come to an agreement of sorts on compensation.

The Injuries Board does not deal with medical negligence. If you suffer a personal injury due to negligence by a medical professional, you can make a claim through the State Claims Agency. 

All personal injury claims* must go through the Injuries Board Resolution process, and both sides must wait on their judgement before deciding on taking the claim to a higher level.

According to the Injuries Board, the claims process can take up to 12 months from start to finish before you get a recommendation on compensation.

The initial filing of a claim and the mediation can take up to three months, though in many cases the process is over in less time.

Assessing the claim and making an award of compensation can take up to 9 months in some cases, though, again, the process can take much less.

A recent Central Bank survey found that cases that do not go through the PIAB can take up to twice as long, with possibly little difference in the outcome.

You can speed up the PIAB process by engaging with it fully from day one. Once your personal injury solicitor recommends you make a claim, then you should commit fully to the process.

Ways to keep the Injuries Board process working for you:

Only by working with your solicitor and doing what the Injuries Board asks you to do can you get a good outcome from the claims process.

No, you do not need a solicitor for a PIAB claim, but having one on your side can make the process a lot easier to navigate.

An experienced personal injury solicitor will know how to work with the Injuries Board and will have your claim ready for each stage of the process.

They will use their experience to make your claim fully, for all the compensation you are due and can help you avoid some of the common pitfalls many claimants fall into with the PIAB.

The solicitor can also advise you when to reject or accept the Injuries Board judgement.

If you accept the PIAB offer of compensation, you inform them through your solicitor. 

The PIAB will then issue an Order to Pay to the order side of the claim, which has the same effect as a court order. The other side must then pay you the compensation, and you can get on with your life.

You can also choose to reject the PIAB’s offer, with all the extra work that may come with it.

Your experienced personal injury solicitor can be with you at every stage of your PIAB journey.

Yes, you can reject a PIRB assessment, but you should only do so on the advice of a good personal injury solicitor.

If you reject the PIRB assessment, you will have to go to the High Court for the next round of the claim. It can take time, even years, for a claim to be heard in the courts, and you are not guaranteed the court will rule in your favour.

When you take the personal injury claim* to the courts, you will have to go through all of the claims process again. You will also have higher legal expenses and may need to pay expert witnesses and other costs.

If the court dismisses your claim, you may have very high costs to pay. Even if the court accepts your claim but does not order a higher compensation amount than offered by the PIAB, you can have costs to pay too.

Contact PBN Litigation Solicitors in Dublin today to make your personal injury claim* through the Injuries Board.

At PBN Litigation, we have the experience with all types of personal injury claims*, and our team can work with you to get compensation from the Injuries Board.

Nous mettrons notre expérience à votre service pour vous obtenir l'indemnisation que vous méritez.

Contactez les avocats contentieux de PBN à Dublin pour tous vos besoins en matière de préjudice corporel.