A young girl, who suffered spinal injuries in a traffic accident which left her paralysed from the waist down, has had a settlement of compensation for a child passenger in a car crash approved at the High Court.
Britney Arendse (now 12) of Kells, County Meath, was returning from a day out on Bettystown Beach in June 2009 with her mother -Bridgitte – her mother´s friend and the friend´s two daughters, when a car being driven on the wrong side of the road collided with them.
Bridgitte Arendse – who was driving – and her four passengers had to be cut from the wreckage of the vehicle and were rushed to hospital, where Britney remained in a coma for three weeks before being transferred to Temple Street Children’s Hospital and then to the National Rehabilitation Unit in Dun Laoghaire.
After it was confirmed by doctors that Britney will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life, Bridgitte Arendse made a claim for compensation for a child passenger in a car crash against the driver of the vehicle – Sean McKenna – and the owner of the vehicle – Patricia McKenna – both of Duleek, County Meath.
Liability was acknowledged for Britney´s injuries and a settlement of compensation for child passenger in car crash was agreed amounting to €3.9 million. As with all compensation settlements involving children, the settlement had first to be approved by a judge and, after hearing the circumstances of the accident and the injuries sustained by Britney, Mr Justice Kevin Cross approved the settlement at the High Court.