Court in Opatija Orders Croatia Insurance to Increase Annuity for Severely Injured Man from Matulji
Monthly compensation for Mladen Matejčić rises from €623.80 to €1,501, with payment of over €20,800 in back differences
Monthly compensation for Mladen Matejčić rises from €623.80 to €1,501, with payment of over €20,800 in back differences
A new ruling by the Permanent Service of the Municipal Court in Rijeka, operating in Opatija, obliges Croatia Insurance to make significantly higher monthly payments to Mladen Matejčić from Matulji. He sustained severe injuries back in 1987 in a traffic accident. According to information from the Fiuman.hr portal, the court decided that the current amount of €623.80 should be increased to €1,114 for the period from July 1, 2023, to December 31, 2025, and from January 1, 2026, onward, the annuity will amount to €1,501.
In addition to the increased amount, the insurer must also pay all differences accrued since July 2023, plus statutory default interest. The principal debt, excluding interest, exceeds €20,800. The court also ordered Croatia Insurance to cover litigation costs of €5,393.77.
The accident occurred on May 26, 1987, when Matejčić, then 14 years old, was a passenger on a moped. Injuries to his head, pelvis, lower leg, and foot were severe, and by the early 1990s, he was already determined to have a permanent reduction in life activity of 95 percent, which entitled him to an annuity for lost earnings. Over the years, he has undergone ten surgeries, and on his fifth toe, he still has an open wound that does not heal.
The last adjustment to the annuity was in 2008, when it amounted to 4,700 kuna, or €623.80 per month. During the court proceedings, Matejčić argued that this amount was no longer realistic because the average salaries in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, which served as the basis for the calculation, had significantly increased.
Croatia Insurance did not dispute the right to the annuity but requested a new medical assessment, claiming that due to nearly four decades having passed, it was necessary to evaluate his current health condition and potential work capacity.
The court accepted this, and the occupational medicine expert, Professor Hrvoje Lalić, MD, PhD, after examination and review of medical documentation, concluded that Matejčić cannot perform any job. Leg deformities cause him difficulty walking and constant pain, and he cannot stand or sit for extended periods. The expert assessed that he is entirely dependent on the annuity.
The court found that circumstances had changed significantly since 2008. The key reason for the new decision is the growth in average net salaries in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, which have risen from around €624, the amount of the annuity, to over €1,500 in the last quarter of 2025.
The new monthly annuity is €877.20 higher than the previous one. Croatia Insurance must also pay all back differences since July 2023, with applicable statutory default interest.
