Sandra worked in a busy retail environment in Galway where she felt part of a good team. One afternoon, a customer became aggressive during a transaction, and the situation escalated beyond what anyone expected. What started as raised voices turned into a physical assault. Sandra was left shaken, injured, and struggling to return to work. The immediate shock was bad enough, but the longer-term impact—the anxiety, the time off work, the medical bills—weighed heavily on her. She knew she hadn't done anything wrong, and she deserved support.
Sandra wasn't sure where to start. She'd heard that there were different ways to handle something like this, and she wanted to explore all her options. She learned that she could pursue a civil claim for compensation through the courts, but she also discovered that her employer had responsibilities under workplace safety laws. Sandra decided to pursue both routes at once: a civil claim against the person who assaulted her, and a claim through the workplace relations system against her employer for failing to protect her. Having both paths running in parallel meant more work, but it gave her options and leverage.
Over time, both cases moved forward. The civil claim established liability—the court accepted that the assault happened and that damages were owed. Meanwhile, the workplace tribunal found that Sandra's employer had not taken adequate steps to manage the risk of violence or to support her properly afterwards. Rather than go all the way to trial on both fronts, a settlement was negotiated that reflected the findings from both cases. Sandra received a combined payment that covered her injuries, lost earnings, and the genuine impact the assault had on her wellbeing. More importantly, she felt heard and validated across both the legal and workplace safety systems.