Judge says girl in crash on day of First Communion deserves at least €20,000

A Judge has said he would like to see at least €20,000 awarded to a Donegal girl involved in a car crash on the day of her First Holy Communion.

The girl was a back seat passenger in a car when another car came from a side street onto the main road, colliding with the vehicle in which she was travelling.

Mr Ivan Toner BL, representing the young girl and her mother, told Letterkenny Circuit Court that it was the day of the girl's First Holy Communion and she could not enjoy the day as she became distressed.

The case was before the court for the approval of the assessment of damages by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. (PIAB).

PIAB proposed damages totalling €18,527.90, including €16,000 of general expenses and €1,585 of special expenses.

The most significant injury was a moderate level of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the court heard.

She suffered a cut to her lip and was bleeding while she had pain on her face for three months after the accident.

She had ongoing difficulty travelling and was particularly apprehensive going on the school bus, Mr Toner said.

A psychiatric report noted that the girl suffered from an acute stress reaction as well as PTSD.

The report said the girl has 'intermittent and intrusive mental recollection' and 'occasional anxiety'.

She hears her mother's screams from the accident and had a 'loss of enjoyment in social contacts' and is anxious about travelling by road.

Mr Toner said the girl is now 'more comfortable' travelling and has 'no major issues'.

Judge John Aylmer said the girl suffered a genuine post traumatic experience – 'a lot more significant than cases where the baseline is €20,000.

Adjourning the matter until the May sitting of the court, Judge Aylmer said he would 'prefer to see an offer of at least €20,000.