A minor (a person under the age of 18) can bring a personal injury action through their parent / guardian. Any award of compensation is retained in Court for the child until they reach the age of 18.
The following cases are examples of personal injury actions at Dublin, Ireland in which Lawlor Kiernan LLP has represented a minor.
Case Study 1 – Car Accident
We acted for a 12 year old child that sustained injuries when the car she was travelling in was rear-ended by another vehicle. She suffered soft tissue injuries to her neck and back caused by whiplash. She also suffered with nightmares following the accident and was nervous when travelling in a car. A medical report was obtained from her GP in relation to her physical injuries and a child psychologist report in relation to her anxiety. The case settled before the hearing date and the child received €22,000.00 compensation plus her legal costs.
Case Study 2 – Tripped on Uneven Footpath
We acted for a 2 year old child who had suffered an injury to his head following a trip and fall on the pavement outside his house. The roots of the trees growing outside his home had caused the pavement to become cracked and uneven. Our client tripped and fell over the uneven footpath and suffered a cut to his forehead requiring a number of stitches. When his cut healed, he was left with a scar on his head. The case was fully defended by the local council that had planted the trees. We obtained an engineer’s report which stated that the council had repaired other parts of the footpath in the same housing estate but had failed to repair this section. The Judge ruled that the council was responsible for this incident and awarded the child €10,000.00 as compensation for his injury and his legal costs.
Case Study 3 – Cut Foot on Broken Tile in Swimming Pool
We acted for a child who had suffered a cut to his foot on a broken tile in the swimming pool at summer camp. He needed a number of stitches and was left with a small scar on his foot. We settled the case for €12,000.00 compensation plus costs.
Case Study 4 – Playground Accident
We represented a teenager who had been on a swing in a public playground. The swing was old and in a bad state of repair which caused one of the chains to snap while our client was on it. Our client fell to the ground and broke her ankle. The case settled before the hearing date for €32,000.00 general damages plus payment in full of our client’s legal costs.
