A five-year-old boy, who sustained a head injury when tripping on a worn carpet in the Drogheda branch of the Bank of Ireland, has had a settlement of compensation for a trip over a carpet approved in the Circuit Court.
Cillian Welsh was just two years of age when he and his father – James, of Drogheda, County Louth – were visiting the Laurence Street branch of the Bank of Ireland in May 2009. As the father and son were leaving the bank, Cillian tripped on the lip of a badly worn carpet and fell forward – banging his head on the glass door in front of him and gashing his forehead.
Cillian was taken to a local medical centre where the wound was stitched but, as Circuit Court President Mr Justice Matthew Deery heard, the boy was left with a one-centimetre scar on the left side of his forehead. Through his father, Cillian made a claim for compensation for a trip over a carpet against the Bank of Ireland – alleging that the bank had been negligent in its duty of care to customers.
The court heard that the bank had admitted its liability for Cillian´s injuries and had made an offer of 15,000 Euros in compensation. Cillian´s family had accepted the offer and Mr Justice Matthew Deery was told that the case was before him for approval of damages only.