A boy who cut his knee – when he was attending an Art Camp in Dundrum, Dublin – during a fall on a tree stump at a has had a compensation settlement of €55,000 approved in the High Court.
Just ten years old when the accident in question took place, Diarmuid O’Connor is now 15 and took the legal action via his mother Jacinta O’Connor of Ashton Avenue, Knocklyon, Dublin, against Artzone Ltd, the operators of an art camp at Taney Parish Hall, Dundrum, Dublin during February 2016
The accident took place during the break is classes at the camp when Diarmuid, now 15-years-old, and some of his friends were unsupervised as they wandered off among the bushes on the grounds of the camp. If was during this exploration that Diarmuid fell across the tree stump and cut his leg quite badly.
Camp staff were called to help him and they removed the other children from the scene and called an ambulance. The cut was so severe that it has left Diarmuid too self conscious to wear shorts during the summer months.
As he was giving his approval for the child accident compensation settlement, Justice Garrett Simons said that he was very happy with the agreed terms of the settlement. He made reference to the fact that there may have been many legal issues in relation to supervision and how the boy was permitted to wander off unsupervised if the case had gone to a full trial.
During break time, it was claimed, the boy went in an area with bushes after his friends and fell.
Assistants ushered the group away from the bushes and an ambulance was called.
The judge said the settlement was a good one. He noted that if the case had gone to trial there may have been issues in relation to the boy wandering off and to supervision.