A judge has refused the approval of a personal injury claim made on behalf of a child, saying that she should get more compensation for shop accident injuries.
Shauna Kelly from Ballyfermot in Dublin was fourteen years of age when she was browsing through the electronic books section of Eason´s in Lower O´Connell Street in July 2012. As she studied the book titles on the shelf, an electronic display frame fell from its mountings above her and hit Shauna on the head and on her right wrist.
At the Crumlin Children´s Hospital in Dublin, x-rays revealed that no bones in Shauna´s head or arm had been fractured. Shauna was treated for soft tissue injuries to her neck and lower back, and diagnosed with concussion. A splint was placed around her wrist to give it support while further soft tissue injuries healed.
On Shauna´s behalf, a claim for compensation for shop accident injuries was made by her mother against Eason´s and David James Retail Solutions Ltd of Edenderry in County Offaly – the company that had installed the electronic display frame.
During negotiations between the parties to agree on how much compensation for shop accident injuries Shauna´s claim should be settled for, an offer of €13,500 was made to Shauna´s mother – Kathy Maher. As Shauna is still a legal minor, the offer of settlement had to be approved by a judge before it could be accepted.
Therefore, at the Circuit Civil Court, Mr Justice Raymond Groarke was told about the circumstances of the accident and that Shauna suffered from severe headaches for six months. He was also told that Shauna still suffers from stiffness in her back more than two and a half years after her accident.
The barrister representing Shauna told Judge Groarke that an offer of €13,500 compensation for shop accident injuries had been made, but that he did not believe that €13,500 was sufficient to compensate Shauna for her injuries and recommended that the offer should not be approved.
Judge Groarke agreed with Shauna´s barrister and declined to approve the offer of settlement. He said it would be more appropriate to award compensation for shop accident injuries after a full hearing of the case, and adjourned the hearing for date to be scheduled for the Circuit Civil Court later this year.