A teenage girl has been awarded €30,000 compensation in settlement of a cut knee sports injury claim after a previous settlement was rejected by a judge.
Rhian Holohan (now 17 years of age) was playing in goal for Kentstown Rovers FC when – in June 2012 – she dived to make a save and cut her knee on a piece of broken glass that was on the surface of the Ayrfield United FC pitch.
The game in the Dublin Women´s Soccer League was stopped so that Rhian could receive first aid treatment and she was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, where her lacerated knee was cleaned and sutured under anaesthetic.
Because of the depth of the cut, Rhian had to use crutches for support for several weeks. She experienced considerable pain from her swollen knee and was unable to play football again for several months. She now has a visible 1.5 cm scar on her knee.
Through her mother – Anita Holohan of Kentstown in County Meath – Rhian made a cut knee sports injury claim for compensation against Dublin City Council, the Trustees of Dublin Women´s Soccer League and the Trustees of Ayrfield United FC.
Liability for Rhian´s injury was accepted by the defendants and a settlement of €22,000 was negotiated. However, when the cut knee sports injury claim went to the Circuit Civil Court for the settlement to be approved, Mr Justice Raymond Groarke said that the settlement was not appropriate for the level of injury and asked the parties to reconsider the offer.
Following further talks between the parties, the offer of settlement of Rhian´s cut knee sports injury claim was increased to €30,000 – a figure which Mr Justice Raymond Groarke found more acceptable. Judge Groarke approved the revised settlement of Rhian´s cut knee sports injury claim and closed the case.