A €150,000 settlement of compensation for being bitten by a dog has been approved in the High Court in favour of a twelve-year-old girl.
Lauren Kelly from Abbeylara in County Longford was playing “hunting the wren” with family and friends on St Stephens Day in 2011, when she was attacked by a Rottweiler that had escaped its home by jumping over a wall and was roaming the streets.
Lauren suffered twenty-six puncture wounds to her upper right arm and injuries to her neck and right shoulder as she was “tossed around like a rag doll”. Lauren escaped further injury when her mother and friends intervened, and she was taken to hospital.
At the hospital, Lauren was treated for her injuries and subsequently had to undergo skin graft operations which left her with twenty visible scars on her arm. She still has to wear a protective medical sleeve when swimming to prevent infections from developing.
Through her parents – Michael and Marcella Kelly – Lauren claimed compensation for being bitten bya dog against the Rottweiler´s owner – William Crawford also of Abbeylara, County Longford – alleging that Crawford had been negligent by having inadequate measures to stop the dog from escaping.
The compensation claim was initially disputed, but a settlement of compensation for being bitten by a dog was eventually agreed amounting to €150,000. However, before the claim could be finalised, the settlement of compensation had to be approved by a judge due to Lauren´s age.
Consequently, at the High Court in Dublin, Mr Justice Kevin Cross was told the circumstances of the attack and the injuries that Lauren had sustained. The judge approved the €150,000 settlement of compensation for being bitten by a dog, which will be held by the court in an interest-bearing account until Lauren reaches the age of eighteen.