The biggest High Court settlement of its type was established when David McCullagh junior, sued the owner and rider of a bike he was a passenger on that crashed into an earth bank. David suffered some seriously catastrophic head injuries and has secured his €5 million in damages compensation claim thus setting a new financial settlement standard for such accidents. Yesterday Mr Justice John Quirke commented that he had “real concerns” about how his care would be financed in the future, expressing that the UK’s health system was “infinitely better”.

The wide scope of costing matters in relation to crash victims has made it difficult for experts to settle on a final figure for the bulk settlement. It was mentioned that the “much better” type of compensation system that can be accessed in the UK where one can receive periodic monthly payments as opposed to other places such as Ireland where it has to be settled in one lump sum. The €4.98 million will go towards providing care throughout the rest of Mr McCullagh’s life, following the negligence of the rider whose bike insurance company has already been providing financial assistance towards his home improvement needs.