306 / 448
GAZETTE
OCTOBER 1996
at the t i me of t he a c c i d e n t. C o s t e l lo J.
h e ld that, w h i le h e m a y h a v e h ad
d i f f i c u l ty in g e t t i ng w o r k, he w o u l d
p r o b a b ly h a v e f o u n d a j o b if the
a c c i d e nt h a d n ot o c c u r r ed a n d t h e r e f o re
a w a r d e d h i m £ 1 2 , 0 00 f o r loss of
e a r n i n gs u p to the d a te of t he trial of t he
a c t i o n. W i t h r e g a rd to f u t u re loss of
e a r n i n g, h e h e ld that b e c a u se the
p l a i n t i ff s e d u c a t i on e n d e d at t he a g e of
16 a n d b e c a u se l i v i ng in t he L i s t o w el
a r ea h is o p p o r t u n i t i es f o r e m p l o y m e nt
as a d i s a b l ed p e r s on w e r e virtually nil,
h e w a s entitled to d a m a g e s f o r loss of
e a r n i n gs f o r the rest of h is w o r k i ng life.
T h e p l a i n t i ff w a s a w a r d ed £ 1 0 0 , 0 00
d a m a g e s f o r loss of e a r n i n gs into t he
f u t u r e. F r o m t he total loss of e a r n i n gs
a w a r d of £ 1 1 2 , 0 0 0, C o s t e l lo J d e d u c t ed
a p p r o x i m a t e ly £ 1 2 , 0 00 f o r d i s a b i l i ty
b e n e f it w h i c h t he P l a i n t i ff w a s a nd
w o u l d c o n t i n ue to b e in r e c e i pt of f r o m
Ap r il 1 9 86 to Ap r il 1991.
12
H e w e n t o n
to a w a r d t he p l a i n t i ff a f u r t h er s u m of
£ 2 5 6 , 0 00 f o r o t h er special d a m a g e s
t o g e t h er w i th a s u m of £ 1 0 0 , 0 00 f o r
p a in a nd s u f f e r i ng p a st a n d f u t u r e,
m a k i n g a total a w a r d of £ 4 5 6 , 0 0 0.
In
O'Sullivan v larnrod Eireann,
the
plaintiff w a s i n j u r ed in an a c c i d e nt at
w o r k in S e p t e m b er 1989.
11
I a r n r ód
E i r e a nn w e r e e n g a g ed in r e n e w i ng t he
W a t e r f o rd to C o r k r a i l w ay line a n d t he
p l a i n t i ff w a s e m p l o y ed as a p a r t - t i me
p l a te l a y er in t he M a l l ow d e p o t. O n t he
d a te of the a c c i d e n t, t he plaintiff a n d a
f e l l ow e m p l o y ee w e r e c a r r y i ng a 16ft
s l e e p er w h e n t he f e l l ow e m p l o y ee
s l i p p ed a n d a c c i d e n t a l ly t h r u st t he
s l e e p er in t he d i r e c t i on of t he p l a i n t i ff
c a u s i ng h i m to s u s t a in a b a ck i n j u r y. H e
c o n t i n u ed to w o r k f o r a c o u p le of w e e k s
a f t er t he a c c i d e nt b ut c o u ld n ot c o n t i n ue
t h e r e a f t er a n d r e c e i v ed i n j u ry b e n e f it
a n d t h en d i s a b l e m e nt b e n e f it f r o m t he
D e p a r t m e nt of S o c i al We l f a r e.
Mo r r i s J h e ld that t he d e f e n d a nt w a s
1 0 0% r e s p o n s i b le f o r t he a c c i d e n t.
N o t w i t h s t a n d i ng m e d i c al e v i d e n ce of
p r e - e x i s t i ng d e g e n e r a t i ve c h a n g e in t he
p l a i n t i f f s b a c k, Mo r r is J a w a r d ed h i m
£ 1 4 0 , 0 0 0 f o r p a in a n d s u f f e r i n g, p a st
a n d f u t u r e. H e w e n t o n to h o ld that
b e c a u se of this s e r i o us b a ck i n j u ry a n d
b e c a u s e t he p l a i n t i ff l e ft s c h o ol at t he
a g e of 14, that h e w a s u n e m p l o y a b le
a n d t h e r e f o re w a s e n t i t l ed to d a m a g e s
f o r loss of e a r n i n gs f o r t he rest of his
w o r k i n g life. H o w e v e r, Mo r r is J a l so
a c c e p t ed e v i d e n ce o n b e h a lf of t he
d e f e n d a nt that the p l a i n t i f f s w a g e s a nd
t h o se of his f e l l ow e m p l o y e es w e r e
i n f l a t ed b e c a u se t he w o r k s b e i ng c a r r i ed
o ut on the W a t e r f o rd to C o r k r a i l w ay
line w e r e b e i ng f u n d e d b y t he E U
S t r u c t u r al F u n d i ng a n d that o n c e the
p r o j e ct w a s c o m p l e t e, w a g e s a nd
o p p o r t u n i t i es f o r e m p l o y m e nt in the
a r ea w o u l d d e c r e a s e. H e a w a r d ed t he
p l a i n t i ff £ 1 1 5 , 0 00 d a m a g e s f o r loss of
e a r n i ng p a st a nd f u t u r e.
C o u n s e l f o r t he d e p a r t m e nt a s k ed
M o r r i s J t o a p p l y S e c t i on 7 5 ( 1 ) of t he
1993 Social Welfare
(Consolidation)
Act
so as to d e d u ct i n j u r y / d i s a b l e m e nt
b e n e f it f r o m t he l o ss of e a r n i n gs a w a r d
f o r t h e u s u al f i v e y e a r p e r i o d.
P l a i n t i f f s c o u n s el a r g u ed t h at t h e re
w a s n o e v i d e n ce t h at t he p l a i n t i ff
w o u l d c o n t i n ue to r e c e i ve d i s a b l e m e nt
b e n e f it a n d r e q u e s t ed t h at d e d u c t i o ns
o n l y b e m a d e f r o m t h e d a t e of t he
a c c i d e nt to t he d a t e of trial ( f o ur a n d a
h a lf y e a r s) a n d n ot t he r e m a i n i ng six
m o n t h p e r i o d.
Mo r r is J r e j e c t ed this a r g u m e nt a n d h e ld
that:
" A t p r e s e nt t he p l a i n t i ff is in r e c e i pt
of d i s a b l e m e nt b e n e f it a n d h as b e en
so s i n ce h is o c c u p a t i o n al i n j u ry
b e n e f it ran o ut o n 2 4 M a r c h, 1990.
T h e r e is n o i n d i c a t i o n, s o as f ar as I
a m a w a r e, of a n y i n t e n t i on on t he
part of t he D e p a r t m e nt of S o c i al
W e l f a r e to alter this status ... In m y
v i e w, t he o n u s ... lies o n t he p l a i n t i ff
to s h ow that t h e re is in t he
d e p a r t m e n t 's c o n t e m p l a t i on an
i n t e n t i on to alter t he status quo."
14
T h e r e f o re Mo r r is J d e d u c t ed
a p p r o x i m a t e ly £ 1 6 , 0 00 f o r
i n j u r y / d i s a b l e m e nt b e n e f it a n d g a v e
j u d g m e n t in t he p l a i n t i f f s f a v o ur in t he
s u m of a p p r o x i m a t e ly £ 2 4 0 , 0 0 0.
The employer's right to deduct
In
Dennehy v Nordic Cold Storage
Limited,
t he p l a i n t i ff w a s i n j u r ed in an
a c c i d e nt at w o r k a n d d u r i ng his
r e c u p e r a t i on r e c e i v ed a r e g u l ar p a y m e nt
f r o m his e m p l o y er p u r s u a nt to a n o n -
c o n t r i b u t o ry i n c o me p r o t e c t i on plan.
15
H e s u b s e q u e n t ly s u ed h is e m p l o y er f o r
d a m a g e s f o r p e r s o n al i n j u ry a n d a l so
s o u g ht d a m a g e s f o r loss of e a r n i n g s.
T h e e m p l o y er w a s i n d e m n i f i ed p u r s u a nt
to a c o n t r a ct of i n s u r a n ce f o r the i n c o me
c o n t i n u a n ce p a y m e n t s.
H a m i l t on P h e ld that s u ch a c o n t r a ct of
i n s u r a n ce d id n ot fall w i t h in the a m b it
of Section 2 of the
Civil Liability
(Amendment)
Act, 1964
and therefore
d e d u c t ed the m o n e y r e c e i v ed b y the
e m p l o y ee f r o m t he a s s e s s m e nt of
d a m a g e s.
W h e r e an e m p l o y er c h o o s es to p ay an
e m p l o y e e d u r i ng a p e r i od of a b s e n ce
f r o m w o r k d u e to an a c c i d e nt c a u s ed b y
a t h i rd p a r t y, h e m a y , by a g r e e m e n t,
r e q u i re t he e m p l o y e e to s ue t he third
p a r ty f o r l o ss of e a r n i n gs a n d r e i m b u r se
him accordingly. In
McGuinness
v
O'Reilly,
t he p l a i n t i ff w a s i n j u r ed in a
r o ad t r a f f ic a c c i d e nt in S e p t e m b er
1987.
16
S h e s u s t a i n ed a w h i p l a s h - t y pe
i n j u ry to h er n e ck a n d an i n j u ry to the
f a c et j o i nt a n d l i g a m e n ts of h e r b a c k.
A s a r e s u lt of t h e se i n j u r i e s, s h e d id n ot
r e t u rn to w o r k until J u n e 1989.
P u r s u a nt to t he t e r ms of h er
e m p l o y m e nt w i th t he E S B , s he r e c e i v ed
p a y m e n ts (sick p a y) e q u i v a l e nt to h er
s a l a ry f o r m o s t of that p e r i o d.
Mo r r is J h e ld that t he d e p a r t m e nt w a s
entirely r e s p o n s i b le f o r t he a c c i d e nt a nd
a w a r d e d the p l a i n t i ff £ 3 5 , 0 00 d a m a g es
f o r p a in a n d s u f f e r i n g, p a st a n d f u t u r e.
H e t h en e x a m i n ed a d o c u m e nt
p u r p o r t e d ly e x e c u t ed b y the p l a i n t i ff in
S e p t e m b er 1987 w h e r e by s he a g r e ed to
r e f u n d t he E S B f o r a d v a n ce p a y m e n ts
m a d e d u r i ng h er a b s e n ce f r o m w o r k.
Mo r r i s J h e ld that n o t w i t h s t a n d i ng this
a g r e e m e n t, the E S B w a s o b l i g ed to
m a k e t he p a y m e n ts m a d e to t he p l a i n t i ff
a n d s he w a s u n d er n o o b l i g a t i on to
r e f u n d t h em t he s u m s a d v a n c e d. H e
h e ld t h e r e f o re that s he w a s n ot e n t i t l ed
to c l a im s u ch s u m s as s p e c i al d a m a g es
a n d p r o c e e d ed to a w a r d h er t he s u m of
£ 3 , 0 0 0 f or loss of e a r n i n gs b e c a u se of a
s h o r t f a ll w h e n h er e n t i t l e m e nt to
sick p a y u n d er t he t e r ms of h er
e m p l o y m e nt e x p i r e d.
Fatal accidents
Section 50 of the
Civil Liability Act,
1961
p r o v i d es that in a s s e s s i ng d a m a g e s
in f a t al i n j u r i es a c c i d e n ts a c c o u nt shall
n ot b e t a k en o f:
(a) A n y s um p a y a b le o n t he d e a th of
t he d e c e a s ed u n d er a n y c o n t r a ct
of i n s u r a n c e.
290