Greetings from Oz.
McGon, reading your topic my heart goes out to you, it really does. It reminds me of me situation a bit.
<rant>
Well, over a year ago I was standing innocently on O'Connell street Dublin queueing for donuts with my boyfriend, when something heavy fell on the back of my neck. While falling to the ground thinking someone had thrown a bottle out of a car I realised to my horror a chunk of the building above had fallen on me! I waited 2 hours calling the gardai and they never came, didn't give a crap, and eventually we found one on the beat. He took details and called an ambulance and I was brought to the mater. Thankfully it was only severe tissue and muscle damage but for 6 months after I couldn't mountainbike/horse ride/play badminton and had difficulty typing at computers. What haunts me to this day is the doctor telling me if that had been a few inches higher on my head, I would be six foot under in a few days. It was a big chunk and I'm only a 5'3, 8 stone wisp. Scary.
More than a year later their insurance company are still trying to find out who the owner of the bloody building is (apparently there are a few brothers) so they can do what they need to do. I've filled out the PIAB form but my solicitor hasn't actually submitted yet till the owner's name is discovered... they've dragged that out for a year now...
I'm actually genuine and had genuine injuries... yet why is it taking so long?! My solicitor says he doesn't want to push things in case they claim act of god, freakish event or unforeseeable event. He wants to just let them at it so they smartly come to the conclusion that it would be less hassle to settle it out of court. I'd have to back down otherwise - isn't that annoying! I was minding my own business and didnt bloody ask for a piece of their building to fall on me! I can't afford to go to court anyway, I'm only a graduate and I only want money for the grief and suffering it caused me. The only consolation I have is that apparently 90% of PIAB claims are settled out of court, as the business doesnt want the hassle/fees/media attention/bad rep.
I hate the gardai and this backward 'justice' system we have....
How much bloody longer can this go on? I'm getting so sick of it!! Anyone have similar stories?! </rant>