I have had an accident at work – am I entitled to sick pay?

The short answer is no.  But the decent employers will cover your wages.  Others will not!

There is a myth in Ireland that if you suffer and accident at work, your employer will pay your wages while you are off.

This is not true.  Employers have zero obligations under Irish law to pay you in the event that you have suffered a personal injury as a result of an accident at work.

Some good hearted employers will be kind and pay the wages.  This is is a nice thing to do.  In our experience as accident at work personal injury solicitors, we feel that many people would not bother pursuing an accident at work personal injury claim if their employer paid their wages while they were off work.  But such is life.

In the event that you suffer an accident at work that was not your fault, we as personal injury solicitors, will attempt to recover any lost wages from your employer as part of any settlement.  Loss of earnings and expenses that you have incurred as a result of an accident are known as “special damages.”

Special damages are paid on top of what is known as “general damages” which is the payment an individual receives to compensate for the pain and suffering that they have went through.