A teenager was yesterday awarded £13,540 for trauma suffered in two fires caused by dishwashers in her Dublin home.
The Circuit Civil Court was told the then seven-year-old Alanna Byrne screamed as her mother ran through flames and smoke to save her home.
Mr Ken Fogarty, counsel for Ms Byrne, now aged 17, of Grange Park Rise, Raheny, Dublin, said she had been snatched from a deep sleep by her mother, Yvonne, when their Bendix dishwasher caught fire in 1989.
Mrs Byrne said she had placed Alanna in a blanket on her front lawn before dashing into her home to disconnect the electricity supply and a gas cylinder. The house was badly damaged in the fire, the court heard.
"We had just spent £16,000 on refurbishing our home and I felt it was going to be blown to bits," she told Judge McMahon.
For almost two years Alanna endured "horrible nightmares" and insomnia, the court heard. She became her mother's "shadow", refusing to let Mrs Byrne out of her sight.
Mr Barry Byrne, the girl's father, said Alanna developed paranoia about electricity and had suffered at school.
Two years later she had greatly improved when the new Bendix dishwasher caught fire and the house had to be evacuated.
Ms Byrne told the court her condition deteriorated and for years she had relived the trauma of both fires.
Judge McMahon approved a settlement offer of £13,540 on behalf of Bendix suppliers EID Appliance Sales Ltd, trading as Elektro Services, Longmile Road, Dublin, and retailers Freezer Queen Ltd, trading as Redmond Electrical, Wexford, and McKennas Electrical, Blackrock, Co Dublin.