A young woman in her twenties was recently awarded compensation by the Circuit Court after telling a Judge that she took pain killers to go to discos and get on with her life.

Ciara Byrne from Dublin claimed she injured her back on her way back from the smoking area of a bar in Finglas when she slipped and fell on a liquid substance. Immediately after the fall it was claimed a cleaner had arrived with a mop to clean up the spillage.

Counsel for the nightclub told her in cross examination that she had been recorded dancing in the club some five months after her alleged back injury and that she was moving around pain free. In response the claimant said that she was a young person and wasn’t going to lie down. She also said she took painkillers to get through the pain.

The Circuit Court Judge awarded her €8000 for the personal injuries suffered and said the bar manager had conceded that there had been a spillage and mopping up operation in the area on the night. This is an example of a case that went to a full hearing because the nightclub denied all liability. It also would appear that the Judge in the Circuit Court believed the evidence of the claimant in giving her an award of €8000.

By Healy O’Connor Personal Injuries Department