Garda Injured on Duty Claims

With close to twenty thousand employees in Ireland, An Garda Síochána operations are diverse and cover, among other things, Special Crime Operations, Security & Intelligence, Road Policing & Community Relations. In any of these areas and more, it is possible to sustain avoidable injuries due to Health & Safety violations. If you have been injured on duty and you think this applies to you, you may be able to instigate a claim against your employer for compensation.

Bringing a Claim of Negligence Against An Garda Síochána

Members of An Garda Síochána are the same as many other emergency service workers, such as firefighters and paramedics, in that they place their lives on the line to help keep others safe. It goes without saying that entering this profession means accepting that there will be many unpredictable scenarios where it is impossible for an employer to safeguard individuals from harm’s way. Firefighters, for example, must accept the possibility that building infrastructure may fall onto them whilst tackling the fire.

However, just because emergency service staff deal with dangerous situations every day, that does not mean they do not have the same rights as everyone else to a work environment that protects their safety to a high standard. Should an accident occur that could have reasonably been prevented, whilst on duty in the Garda, the injured party may be eligible to instigate a claim for negligence.

Scenarios, where you may have a basis to instigate a Garda injury claim, include:

• Injuries sustained during training
• An injury caused by faulty or dangerous equipment provided to you
• A lack of adequate equipment or training, directly causing the injury
• Failure by your employer to recognise symptoms of PTSD resulting from an extreme experience on the job
• An injury caused by being placed unnecessarily in a dangerous situation
• Failure to properly deal with harassment or bullying claims.

There will, of course, be many other legitimate situations where it is possible to make a claim against your employer for compensation. Speak to one of our specialist solicitors today for further advice.

Some links on this topic that you may find useful.

• Garda Ombudsman – Gardaí
• Garda Representative Association – Background Information
• Oireachtas.ie – Garda Síochána Act 2005