A settlement of compensation for an injury on a Ryanair flight has been approved in the High Court in Dublin after Ryanair made an offer to settle without admission of liability.
On 24th September 2010, Klaudia Adamczyk from Wroclaw in Poland was with her family on a Ryanair flight from Wroclaw to East Midlands in the UK when, as the airplane landed, a heavy item of luggage fell from the overhead bin above Klaudia and struck her on the back of the head when passengers started to retrieve their cabin luggage.
Klaudia – who was eight years old at the time of the accident – showed no apparent evidence of injury but, ten days later, Klaudia´s mother noticed blood in her ear and took her to hospital for a medical examination. A Cat-scan revealed that Klaudia had sustained a fracture to the base of her skull and has admitted into hospital for treatment.
For six months, Klaudia was unable to participate in any physical activity and continues to experience frequent headaches. After seeking legal advice, Klaudia´s mother – Betya Adamcyk from Wroclaw in Poland – made a claim for compensation for an injury on a Ryanair flight, but made it in Ireland as it is the company´s principal place of business.
In the compensation claim for an injury on a Ryanair flight, Klaudia´s mother alleged that the item of luggage which caused her daughter´s injury had been forced into the overhead bin without due diligence and that the flight crew had been negligent in their distribution of cabin luggage.
Ryanair denied that Klaudia´s injury had been due to the negligence of their cabin crew but, just prior to Klaudia´s claim being heard in court, Ms Justice Mary Irvine was told that an offer of compensation for an injury on a Ryanair flight had been negotiated without admission of liability, and that a settlement of €50,000 was before her for approval only.
After hearing the circumstances of Klaudia´s accident, Ms Justice Mary Irvine approved the settlement, commenting that the experience must have been very distressing for the young girl.