A judge has said that new legislation will ‘cut down’ the size of personal injury awards.
Judge Alan Mitchell made the comment at last week’s sitting of Carndonagh District Court after approving ‘very generous’ payments to a number of children.
The children suffered minor injuries in a crash in Derry. However, the matter was before Carn court as the insured was from Inishowen.
Two of the children were awarded €6,500 each after their mother’s car was rear-ended in December 2018.
“This is very generous, however, the new legislation will cut those awards down,” the judge told the family’s barrister, Gareth McGrory.
Another child, who was 15 years old at the time, was awarded €11,000 plus costs, while a fourth was awarded €12,000.
The court heard all the children had made a full recovery and were not experiencing any issues as a result of the accident.
Judge Mitchell also told Mr McGrory he would approve €250 payments to him in each case for his legal opinion. However, he added, “you will not get that figure under the new regulations.”