A six-year-old boy, who had his right arm severed by a lawnmower blade, has had a settlement of injury compensation for a lawnmower accident approved at the High Court.
Conor Byrne from Kilva in County Cork was weeks away from his third birthday in May 2009 when the tragic accident occurred in his aunt´s garden in Carrigogna. Conor´s mother had visited her sister to help plant some flowers in the garden and, while she did so, Conor was playing happily on the patio of his aunt´s home.
However, as he was playing, Conor slipped down the embankment from the patio to the lawn, where his teenage cousin was cutting the grass with a drive-on lawn mower. Despite the blade of the lawnmower being protected by a guard, Conor´s right arm went under the guard as he fell and his right arm was amputated just below the elbow. Conor was immediately taken to Cork University Hospital, but doctors were unable to re-attach the amputated arm.
Conor´s father – Ciaran – made a claim for injury compensation for a lawnmower accident against his wife´s relatives – Tom and Mary Keohane – and, at the High Court in Dublin, Mr Justice Feeney heard that that a settlement of €1.5 million had been agreed.
The judge was also told that the value of the compensation settlement had been calculated with consideration of Conor´s anticipated losses in the future and included the cost of adapting the family home in Kilva. Mr Justice Feeney approved the settlement of injury compensation for a lawnmower accident after hearing that, despite his unfortunate accident, Conor was doing well at school.