A young boy who was playing on a swing when he fell off and hurt his knee has been awarded €62,000.
High Court judge Mr Justice Paul Coffey approved the assessment of the Injuries Resolution Board for Cian Ray in his action against South Dublin County Council.
Cian, from Scholarstown Wood, Rathfarnham, had through his mother, Lisa Ray, sued South Dublin County Council over the accident in a playground at Stocking Well Wood, Rathfarnham, two years ago.
The judge was told that Cian, who was 11 years old at the time, had been playing with a friend on the swing when it flipped and he fell off. He landed on the ground which an engineer’s report noted should have had rubber on it, the court heard, but instead had other material.
Mr Justice Coffey said the essence of the case was that the ground should have been free of sharp objects. The judge was told that the playground area has since been renovated with rubber matting installed.
In an affidavit to the court, Cian’s mother said her son sustained a large deep wound on his right knee in the accident on June 25th, 2023.
The wound was about 6cm long and the boy had to have nine stitches. He was also given painkillers. He had to have crutches and had to miss his sixth class end of year ceremony at school.
She said an examination earlier this year showed the boy had a full range of movements and his wound had healed over a six to 12 week period. He has been left with a scar on his right knee but has since returned to all activities.
Mr Justice Coffey inspected the scar on the boy’s knee and said he was happy to approve the settlement figure. He wished Cian well for the future.