compensation culture

[pd_phoenix]

a young boy was awarded €30,000 when he fell from an ESB box

Schoolboy wins €30,000 after fall from ESB box - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie

the article claims that the children used another box in order to climb on the ESB box, therefore should he really have been awarded such an amount of compensation?

What about his parents? Who leaves a 5 year old child unsupervised or lets them climb an ESB box?

Has the country turned into a mini America where people will seek compensation for anything? Where is the sense of personal responsibility?

[MsAnneThrope]

I think the salient word in that article was that the ESB box was left "unguarded". I assume this means it should have been fenced off in some way, to prevent accidents like this and perhaps more serious electrical accidents? Given that the ESB accepted liability I assume this was the case.

But in principle I agree with you. There does seem to be a growing compensation mentality in Ireland and it needs to be kept in check to prevent silly, sometimes ludicrous cases resulting in large payouts. It ultimately pushes up insurance costs for us all.

I would think this case is an exception however. Kids will be kids and unguarded ESB boxes shouldn't be accessible to them.

[ellie08]

The compo culture drove up insurance rates, robbed our towns of playgrounds (when little jacinta fell off the slide and got thousands), made the price of everything go up. To every knacker that claimed for falling over a wobbly bit of footpath - cheers - you really made life great for the rest of us!

[pd_phoenix]

kids will be kids but should the ESB be forced to pay €30,000 for his adventures. Sure I got up to stuff when I was younger that I shouldn't have and broken bones climbing stuff I shouldn't have but there was never a thought of trying to blame someone else and getting money out of them. I think it is a new mentality in Ireland

[amblincork]

There is a certain politician who received a large compensation award after injuring himself, after a fall received when trespassing, when younger.

[pd_phoenix]

There is a certain politician who received a large compensation award after injuring himself, after a fall received when trespassing, when younger.

this is exactly the compensation culture I can't stand. People getting money when they were in the wrong

[sauntersplash]

I think it is a new mentality in Ireland

I call it, all consuming greed.

[MsAnneThrope]

kids will be kids but should the ESB be forced to pay €30,000 for his adventures.

If €30k is the cost of ensuring no kid suffers a more serious or fatal accident at any ESB property in the country then I think it's a good thing. The ESB should be ensuring these properties and boxes are out of bounds to children, or face further claims. Where the actual 30k figure came from I don't know. I'll defer to a legal expert here but I doubt the child's parents came up with that number and may have been happier with a lot less?

[amblincork]

If €30k is the cost of ensuring no kid suffers a more serious or fatal accident at any ESB property in the country then I think it's probably a good thing. Where the actual 30k figure came from I don't know. I'll defer to a legal expert here but I doubt the child's parents came up with that number and may have been happier with a lot less?

Barrsiters usually ask clients what amounts they would accept.

[Supermanpolitician]

There is a certain politician who received a large compensation award after injuring himself, after a fall received when trespassing, when younger.

If you are talking about Brian Crowley then it's ok to say his name and isn't libel.