A four-year-old girl who suffered a six centimetre cut to her leg from due to an accident that involved a school bench with a protruding rusty nail has been awarded personal injury compensation €22,500 by Justice Raymond Groarke in the Circuit Civil Court.
Circuit Court President Judge Raymond Groarke heard that Kaoise McNamara, who had an address at Edenmore Avenue, Raheny had taken the school accident compensation action against St Eithne’s National School and St Monica’s Infant Girl’s School for €60,000 damages for personal injuries arising she suffered in the school yard accident that occurred on June 30th, 2008.
Mark O’ Connell, legal representatives for Kaoise, advise Justice Groarke that his client had sustained injuries due to a lateral cut to the rear of her right leg below her knee. He said the nail had been concealed at the back of the bench.
15-year-old Kaoise was brought to a nearby hospital where she had was given a tetanus injection and had her wound cleaned out. The medical team tending to her applied sutures as there had been considerable bleeding. The young girl was also given a prescription of painkillers before being discharged and allowed to return home.
The court heard that when Kaoise, who took the school personal injury accident action via her mother Linda Forristal, was ten years of age before she had become conscious of how the scar appeared to those around here. The court was advised that the young girl was, from that age, conscious of the scar on occasions such as when she was participating in sporting events and also during social occasions. Judge Groarke was informed that, on most occasions like this, Kaoise took the decision to make an attempt to conceal or cover up the cut using trousers or high knee-socks.
Judge Groarke approved the school yard compensation action settlement offer of €22,500 for the young girl.