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Roads, workplaces, catastrophic injury: the picture across Northern Ireland in 2025/26, and what it means if you've been seriously hurt.
1,140
People killed or seriously injured on NI roads in 2025/26 PSNI Road Traffic Statistics
376
DfI's 2030 target for serious road injuries. The current figure is three times higher. NIRSS 2030 Annual Report 2024
£607m
Annual cost of workplace injury and ill health to NI society HSENI Workplace Health Statistics
Serious injuries happen every day in Northern Ireland. On roads, in workplaces, and in incidents that leave people with permanent, life-changing conditions. If you or someone close to you has been badly hurt, understanding the scale of what's happening, and who is responsible, is often the first step toward getting proper support.
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Road Traffic Injuries
The number of people killed or seriously injured on NI roads rose to 1,140 in the year to March 2026, the highest figure in more than a decade. That increase is happening against a government target to reduce serious road injuries by half before 2030.
Most serious road injuries involve drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, and pedestrians hit by vehicles travelling at speed. The most common causation factors recorded by the PSNI are driver inattention, dangerous overtaking, and impairment. The PSNI's 2024 Detailed Trends Report confirms the strategy is also failing on child KSIs and young driver KSIs. Where another driver's negligence caused your injury, a compensation claim is possible whether or not a prosecution has followed.
Jack's Serious Motorcycle Accident — Settled for £900,000
Jack was knocked from his motorcycle when a car cut across his path, throwing him a significant distance and leaving him with life-changing injuries. His case settled for £900,000.
Read Jack's story02
Workplace Injuries
Workplace fatalities in Northern Ireland have fallen over time, but serious, non-fatal injuries tell a different story. HSENI's Workplace Health Statistics 2025 show 18,000 workers were affected by musculoskeletal conditions caused or made worse by work in 2023–24, up from 14,000 the year before.
Employers have a legal duty to keep workers safe. When faulty equipment, poor training, or unsafe working conditions cause a serious injury, the employer may be liable regardless of whether the incident was formally reported or investigated.
Conor's Workplace Accident — Settled for £650,000
Conor was directing traffic in a yard when a forklift driver drove over his foot, causing a severe and permanent injury. His claim against his employer settled for £650,000.
Read Conor's story03
Catastrophic Injury: Brain, Spinal, and Limb Loss
Some injuries are severe enough to change everything: how a person moves, communicates, works, and lives. Brain injuries, spinal injuries, and amputations are the most complex cases in personal injury law because their effects are permanent and their full financial impact, including care costs, adapted housing, and lost earnings, can run into the millions.
Brain Injury Matters NI estimates that around 37,000 people in Northern Ireland are currently living with the long-term effects of a brain injury. Spinal injuries and amputations most often arise from road collisions, falls from height, and heavy machinery accidents, the same categories where road and workplace data shows rising numbers.
Jonathan's Serious Brain Injury — Settled for £3,000,000
Jonathan was crossing a road in Belfast when a car on the wrong side struck him, causing a serious brain injury. His case, which required expert evidence on lifetime care and loss of earnings, settled for £3,000,000.
Read Jonathan's storyTalk to Someone About Your Situation
If you or a family member has suffered a serious injury, consultations are free and there's no obligation to proceed.