COMPENSATION OF €44M was awarded in public liability accidents last year, according to the body responsible for ordering the awards.

New figures from the Injuries Board show that over 1,700 public liability awards were made in 2013.

The most common injuries were slips, trips and falls, and women accounted for the majority of awards.

Of all public place accidents before the Board, 2% involved animals, including dog attacks, bull attacks, being trampled by a horse, and collisions between cyclists and dogs. There were 40 PL awards last year for accidents in supermarkets.

The average award for PL claims rose 11% from last year to €25,120, while the award was higher for men than for women, at an average €25,664 and €24,902 respectively.

The number of awards over €100,000 increased from 2 in 2011 to 18 in 2013; more than eight in every 10 awards last year were under €38,000.

Women are almost twice as likely to sustain an injury in a public place, accounting for 71.4% of all PL awards made last year. People aged between 18 and 24 were the least likely to receive a PL award (8.3% of cases), while those aged between 25 and 64 accounted for two-thirds of the awards.

Based on figures from the last three years, Saturday was the most common day for accidents in public places and July was the most common month (January being the safest).

The Injuries Board is an independent body which makes personal injury compensation awards for motor, workplace and public liability accidents. An Order to Pay issued by the board is legally binding.