Winifred McDonagh (left) and Melissa McDonagh (right), two of the plaintiffs involved in the case

Gardai have been praised for their "vigilance" after four personal injury claims worth over €100,000 were dismissed following a High Court appeal.

Aviva Insurance, which acted for the defendant, welcomed the ruling of the High Court but said the cost of having to fight appeals like this is discouraging.

Rob Smyth of Aviva said they suspected the claims were exaggerated based on the evidence of the garda at the scene.

"I wish to acknowledge the excellent work of the gardai, it was their vigilance at the scene of the accident that assisted us in successfully defending these claims," he said.

"If successful, the potential payout could have been in the region of €100,000 upwards. Unfortunately, significant costs are incurred in defending these claims, but we are committed to taking all necessary steps to recover our costs," he added.

Julianne McDonagh, Angelina McDonagh, Melissa McDonagh and Winifred McDonagh, with an address of Nash's Boreen, Fairhill, Co Cork, each brought injury claims after the vehicle they were travelling in was rear ended.

The case was heard before Cork Circuit Court last May and all plaintiffs lodged an appeal to the High Court after their claims were dismissed.

Garda Eoin Hodnett of Guarranbraher Garda Station attended the scene and provided evidence that the damage shown in the photographic evidence obtained from an engineer was not consistent with his observations at the scene.

The woman who rear-ended the vehicle also said in her evidence there was only a scratch to the back of the car following the accident.

Each of the plantiffs said they sustained soft tissue injuries to the neck and back, while Julianne McDonagh said she sustained a fracture to her rib.

An x-ray report indicated that Ms McDonagh had fractured her rib, but the evidence heard that none of the passengers complained of any injuries at the scene of the accident.

Justice Michael Hanna this week dismissed all four claims and awarded costs against the plaintiffs.

Online Editors