A young boy who was allegedly struck by a falling goalpost at an indoor football pitch has settled a High Court action for €60,000.
James Hannon was six years of age and attending a birthday party when the alleged accident happened in the Dublin complex six years ago.
Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said the boy had made an excellent recovery from what could have been a life-changing event.
The boy’s counsel, Finbarr Fox SC, told the court it was their case that the goalpost was not properly secured.
James Hannon, now aged 12, from Glandore Road, Drumcondra, Dublin, had through his mother, Paula Hannon, sued Indoor Football Ireland Ltd, with offices at Corrstown, Kilsallaghan, Co Dublin, and the operator of the sports facility, which at the time was at Airways Industrial Estate, Santry, Dublin.
The boy was attending a birthday celebration for a group of boys and girls on October 16th, 2016, when it was claimed he was struck by a falling goalpost.
It was claimed there was a failure to sufficiently tie down or strap down a set of goalposts and there was a failure to warn of the existence of an alleged trap or hazard on the premises.
All the claims were denied but a breach of duty was admitted in the case, the court heard.
It was alleged the boy was struck with force by a falling goalpost and was thrown to the ground. He was noted to be lying face down immediately after the incident.
The boy had to be carried to his mother’s car where he was laid across the back seat.
He was referred by a clinic to Temple Street Children’s University Hospital where it was found he had a posterior chest wall injury and was later diagnosed with a collapsed upper lobe of his left lung. He later had to be admitted to hospital for a procedure under general anaesthetic and later in 2017 had to have another procedure.