Posted: February 13th, 2014
A High Court judge has approved a settlement of a car crash injury compensation claim for a passenger in a car accident who suffered life-changing injuries in the 2010 crash.
At the High Court in Dublin, Ms Justice Mary Irvine was told howLydia Branley from Kinlough, Country Leitrim, sustained life-changing injuries when the driver of a BMW Coupe she was a passenger in lost control of his vehicle, crashed it through two roadside barriers and hit a telegraph pole.
The car landed upside down in a stream alongside the N4 at the Ballisodare slip road, but the driver and another male passenger had been thrown clear when the vehicle hit the telegraph pole. Lydia had been wearing a seat belt and was trapped unconscious inside the car until emergency services cut her free.
Lydia was taken by ambulance to Sligo General Hospital and later transferred to the Beaumont Hospital in Dublin where she remained in a coma for nine months. When she came to from the coma, Lydia discovered that she was unable to speak and had lost the use of her legs and arms.
The driver of the BMW – Martin Kearney from Balinoo, County Mayo – was arrested and charged with dangerous driving causing serious harm. In June 2012, a judge at the Roscommon Circuit Court sentenced Kearney to six years imprisonment and banned him from driving for twenty years.
Through her father – Martin – Lydia made a car crash injury claim for a passenger against Kearney and the owner of the car – Kearney´s father, Michael – and a settlement of €10 million compensation was negotiated between the parties.
Because of Lydia´s injuries, the settlement of the car crash injury claim for a passenger had to be approved by a judge before the claim could be completely resolved, and consequently the circumstances of the accident and injury were related to Ms Justice Mary Irvine at the High Court.
After hearing that Lydia will need around the clock care for the rest of her life, the judge approved the €10 million compensation settlement, adding “It does not give back Lydia her life. Nothing will, but it will provide her with the best care and hopefully bring back a degree of normality.”
Categories: Passengers in Car Accidents
