Posted: February 12th, 2014
A woman has been awarded €10 million compensation for passenger injuries in a car crash after a hearing at the High Court in Dublin.
Lydia Branley (now 32 years old) from Kinlough, Country Leitrim, was left in a coma when, in September 2010, the driver of a BMW Coupe she was a passenger in lost control of his car at 150km/h, drove through two crash barriers and hit a telegraph pole.
The BMW landed on its roof in a stream alongside the N4 at the Ballisodare slip road, but the driver and another male passenger had been thrown clear, while Lydia – who had been wearing a seat belt – remained unconscious in the front seat of the vehicle.
Lydia was cut from the wreckage of the BMW by emergency services and taken to Sligo General Hospital, from where she was transferred to the Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. She remained in critical condition until she woke from her coma nine months later.
The driver of the BMW Coupe – Martin Kearney from Balinoo, County Mayo – was charged with dangerous driving causing serious harm and, in June 2012, sentenced to six years imprisonment and banned from driving for twenty years by the Roscommon Circuit Court.
After waking from the coma, Lydia found that she had lost the use of her limbs and was unable to speak or feed herself. Through her father – Martin – Lydia claimed compensation for passenger injuries in a car crash from Kearney and Kearney´s father – Michael – who owned the vehicle.
A settlement of €10 million compensation for passenger injuries in a car crash was negotiated between the parties but, due to the nature of Lydia´s injuries, the settlement had to be approved by a judge before the injury compensation claim could be fully resolved.
Consequently, at the High Court in Dublin Ms Justice Mary Irvine was told the circumstances of the accident and that Lydia will now require around the clock attention for the rest of her life. The judge approved the settlement, adding “It does not give back Lydia her life. Nothing will, but it will provide her with the best care and hopefully bring back a degree of normality.”
Categories: Accident News
