Posted: July 9th, 2016
A six-figure settlement of compensation has been awarded to a teenage girl who was injured whilst on holiday with her family as a child.
Shauna Burke, then aged ten, was staying at the Slattery Caravan Park in Co. Clare in 2009 when the accident occurred. Whist Shauna was playing with other children at the park, she ran past a pole in a communal area that had a nail jutting from it. This nail scraped along Shauna’s leg and caused a deep laceration.
Despite the quick medical attention that was administered to Shauna, once the injury had healed she was still left with a large scar to her leg. Shauna’s father, John, decided to seek medical counsel on her behalf and proceeded to make a claim for personal injury compensation against Austin Francis Slattery, the owner of the caravan park.
In the claim for compensation, John accused Slattery of negligence as he alleges that the park owner was aware of the potential risk that the nail posed, as it was in a place popular with residents. Slattery denied liability, though did make an offer of compensation worth €106,000 to account for Shauna’s suffering to date and future medical care.
However, as the claim was made on behalf of a minor, the settlement had to approved by a High Court judge to ensure it is in Shauna’s best interest. As such, the case was overseen by Mr Justice Anthony Barr at Dublin’s High Court earlier this month. After hearing the details of the case, and inspecting Shauna’s scar, the judge commented that he was happy to approve the settlement.
Shauna will soon turn eighteen, and until that point the settlement will be paid into interest-yielding court funds.
Categories: Child Accidents
