Paralysis is the loss of movement in part of the body, caused by damage to the brain, the spinal cord or the nerves. This page explains how paralysis claims in Ireland prove what caused the damage and what it means for the future.
A paralysis claim is a claim for loss of movement or feeling caused by negligence. The pattern depends on where the damage is. Damage to the spinal cord can cause tetraplegia, affecting all four limbs, or paraplegia, affecting the legs.
Damage to one side of the brain, after a head injury or a stroke, can cause hemiplegia on the opposite side of the body. Damage to a nerve or group of nerves can paralyse one arm or leg.
That last group includes brachial plexus injuries, where the nerves running from the neck into the arm are stretched or torn, often when a motorcyclist lands on the shoulder.
It also includes cauda equina syndrome, where the nerves at the base of the spine are compressed. Delay in diagnosing or operating on it can leave lasting weakness and loss of bladder and bowel control.
A consultant neurologist or neurosurgeon reports on the cause and extent of the paralysis. Nerve conduction studies and electromyography, carried out by a clinical neurophysiologist, show which nerves are damaged and whether they are recovering.
For a brachial plexus injury, a peripheral nerve surgeon reports on nerve repair or tendon transfer surgery. In medical negligence cases, the central question is what earlier diagnosis or treatment would have changed.
Paralysis caused in a road crash, a work accident or a fall in a public place goes to the Injuries Resolution Board first, after a letter to the person at fault within one month under section 8 of the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004.
The Board can decline to assess a claim where several injuries interact, and it then issues an authorisation to go to court. Read how the Injuries Resolution Board works.
Paralysis linked to medical care, such as a missed stroke, late treatment of cauda equina syndrome or nerve damage during an operation, is a medical negligence claim. It goes through the courts and needs supportive independent medical evidence first.
Nerves can keep recovering for a long time, especially after repair surgery, so the claim is valued once the neurologist can say how much function will return.
Contact us through our enquiry form, phone, or email. We’ll review your situation, answer your questions, and explain what to expect next. There’s no upfront fee to begin your claim.
Your case will be carefully reviewed by our legal team.
We assess the strength of your claim, advise on the documentation needed, and guide you through key steps such as attending an independent medical examination and preparing the information required for the Injuries Resolution Board (IRB).
Once you decide to move forward, we take care of everything. This includes gathering evidence, contacting the other party or their insurer, submitting your claim to the IRB, managing settlement discussions, and handling any court proceedings if needed.
Paul Kearney founded the practice and leads its personal injury work in Ireland. He is regulated by the Law Society of Ireland. Read Paul's profile.
We prepare your application to the Injuries Resolution Board, including the medical evidence, and advise you on any assessment before you decide whether to accept it.
You can meet us at any of our four offices, or deal with us by phone, email or video, wherever you live in Ireland.
There are no upfront fees. Before you go ahead, we set out in writing how legal costs work, as section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 requires. No Win No Fee explained.
Cauda equina syndrome is compression of the bundle of nerve roots at the bottom of the spine, often by a large disc prolapse. Warning signs include numbness in the saddle area, new bladder or bowel problems and weakness in the legs.
Where a GP or hospital did not act on those signs and the delay caused lasting damage, there may be a medical negligence claim.
Not the stroke itself, but a claim may arise where a stroke was misdiagnosed or treatment was delayed, and the delay made the paralysis worse.
Some stroke treatments must be given within hours of the first symptoms, so the times in the ambulance and hospital records are central evidence. An independent consultant in stroke medicine or neurology reports on what earlier treatment would have changed.
It is an injury to the network of nerves running from the neck through the shoulder into the arm. In adults it usually follows a motorbike or road crash in which the head and shoulder are forced apart.
It can leave the arm weak or fully paralysed, and some injuries need nerve grafts or tendon transfers. Brachial plexus injuries at birth are covered on our birth injury claims page.
No. Some paralysis improves as swelling settles or nerves regrow, which is why a claim is not valued until the medical picture is clear. Repeat neurological examinations and nerve studies show how much recovery has happened and what is still expected.
Sometimes. Nerves can be damaged during operations on the spine, neck, shoulder or hip, but not every nerve injury is negligent, because some are known risks of the procedure.
A claim depends on showing the surgery fell below the standard of a reasonably careful surgeon in that specialty, and that this caused the damage.
For care in a public hospital, claims are managed by the State Claims Agency under the Clinical Indemnity Scheme. Private consultants and GPs have their own indemnity cover.
An apology or open disclosure of what went wrong is not an admission of liability, under Part 4 of the Civil Liability (Amendment) Act 2017.
Two years from the date of the injury or the date of knowledge, under the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991.
After a delayed diagnosis, the date of knowledge can be later than the date of treatment, but it is safer to take advice as soon as you suspect the delay made a difference.
Spinal cord injuries are covered in more detail on our spinal cord injury claims page.
No. There are no upfront fees. Before you go ahead, we give you clear written terms explaining how legal costs work, as section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 requires. Read No Win No Fee explained.
Regulated by the Law Society of Ireland
Kearney Law handles only personal injury and clinical negligence claims.
We act for clients across Ireland, including Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Letterkenny. See all the areas we cover.
Contact us to talk to a solicitor about your claim, or request a case review.
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