Niamh was heading into Galway city centre on a Tuesday afternoon, sitting in the back seat of her friend's car. At a set of traffic lights near the docks, their car came to a complete stop. The light was red, and they waited. Then, without warning, a car coming from the right ploughed straight into them at speed. The other driver had simply run the red light.
The impact threw Niamh forward. Her neck snapped back, and pain shot through her shoulder and lower back. The other passengers were shaken and bruised, but Niamh's injuries were more serious. She spent the rest of the day in hospital having X-rays and scans. The diagnosis was whiplash with nerve involvement — not life-threatening, but it meant weeks of physiotherapy and months where she couldn't work her job in hospitality.
What Niamh didn't know was that as a passenger, she had exactly the same right to claim compensation as the driver. She wasn't at fault. She was simply in the wrong place when someone else made a dangerous choice. She contacted a solicitor who took on her case, and after gathering medical evidence and negotiating with the other driver's insurance company, Niamh received full compensation for her injuries, her lost wages, and her physiotherapy costs.