A young girl´s compensation claim for dog bite injuries has been resolved at the High Court after a judge was told how the girl was attacked by a Rottweiler.
On St Stephens Day in 2011, Lauren Kelly from Abbeylara in County Longford was playing “hunting the wren” with family and friends, when she was attacked by a Rottweiler that was wandering the streets after having jumped over the wall of its home.
The attack was stopped when Lauren´s mother and some of her friends intervened, but Lauren – who was just nine years old at the time – suffered multiple bite injuries to her upper right arm and was taken immediately to hospital.
At the hospital, Lauren was treated for her dog bite injuries and subsequently had to undergo skin graft operations which left her with twenty visible scars. She still has to wear a protective sleeve when swimming to prevent her injuries from becoming infected.
Through her father – Michael Kelly – Lauren made a compensation claim for dog bite injuries against the owner of the Rottweiler – William Crawford also of Abbeylara in County Longford – alleging that he had been negligent by not having sufficient measures to stop the dog escaping.
The claim was initially denied, but later a settlement of Lauren´s compensation claim for dog bite injuries was agreed which would see Lauren receive €150,000 compensation. Before the claim could be resolved, the settlement had to be approved by a judge.
Consequently, Lauren´s compensation claim for dog bite injuries was heard at the High Court before Mr Justice Kevin Cross. Judge Cross was told how Lauren had been tossed around like a rag doll during the attack and how she subsequently suffered nightmares and bouts of sleep walking.
Mr Justice Kevin Cross approved the €150,000 settlement of Lauren´s compensation claim for dog bite injuries, which will be held in an interest-bearing account at the court until Lauren reaches the age of eighteen.