A man who was jabbed by a syringe which had been discarded on a Dublin bus has been awarded 25,000 Euros in needle injury compensation after a hearing at Dublin´s Circuit Civil Court.
Gareth Quinn of Clondalkin, County Dublin, was taking his seat on the 78A bus at the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in February 2005 when he sustained a needle injury to his leg from a syringe which had left by the seat.
When Gareth alerted the bus driver, an ambulance was immediately summoned which took him to hospital and the syringe was analysed for contamination. Although tests on the needle found no traces of hepatitis B or hepatitis C, Gareth underwent a series of blood tests for three years until it could be guaranteed that he was at no risk of infection.
Gareth brought a claim for needle injury compensation against Dublin Bus, claiming that the bus company were negligent in failing to provide safe transportation for its customers.
At the Dublin Circuit Civil Court, Judge Joseph Matthews agreed that visual inspection of the bus had been insufficient and awarded Gareth 15,000 Euros for the pain and inconvenience he had already suffered with a further 10,000 Euros for future suffering.