Girl scalded on Ryanair flight accepts €30,000 settlement
A 12-year-old schoolgirl who was scalded on a Ryanair flight from Lourdes just over five years ago has accepted a €30,000 settlement offer from the airline together with significant legal costs.
Judge Christopher Callan told Sienna Darcy in the Circuit Civil Court that he hoped her "horrible experience" would not prevent her from travelling again as it was very important she travel as much as she can.
Barrister Darach MacNamara, who appeared with McGrath McGrane Solicitors for Sienna, told the court that while photographs of the burns to her left hand made for gruesome viewing, he had to include them in evidence to reveal the extent of her injuries when she was only aged seven.
Mr MacNamara said Ryanair staff had treated Sienna with cold water, cooling gel and Calpol immediately after the accident, in which "a piping hot meal including oil and sauce" had spilled onto her hand when it was served to her on the Lourdes-Dublin flight on 12 July, 2019. She had been brought to hospital on disembarking at Dublin Airport.
A settlement offer of €25,000 had been rejected by Judge Michael Walsh in January as inadequate and Mr MacNamara said the airline had come up with an extra €5,000, bringing its offer up to €30,000, which he was recommending to the court.
He said that although Sienna, who sued through her mother Aideen Darcy, of Oscar Square, Dublin, had suffered serious burns to her hand at the time, her wounds had healed very well without scarring and she had suffered no loss of function. She had had been psychologically impacted by the experience.
The court heard that a hot pasta meal had been placed before Sienna by cabin staff on what was claimed to have been an unstable extendable seat tray.
Mr MacNamara said Sienna had to have a significant amount of counselling in the form of therapy and the court considered a medical report from Dylan Murray, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, and two reports from Blanaid Gavin, consultant psychiatrist.
"It really was a horrific experience," Mrs Darcy told the court in written evidence. She claimed her daughter had screamed in pain and had continued to be in excruciating pain and had cried for the duration of the flight. On landing she had been taken by ambulance to Temple Street Children's Hospital for treatment and had been required to attend the hospital on numerous occasions.
Judge Callan said he was happy to approve the settlement offer of €30,000 to include special damages of €2,610.
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