Boy (12) awarded €18,000 after fracturing hand in school playground

A 12-year-old student, who fractured his left hand when he fell in a school playground, has been awarded €18,000 damages in the Circuit Civil Court.

Barrister Séamus Ó Coigligh told the court that Ryan O’Hanlon was six-years-old when the incident happened in October 2010 at St Joseph’s Boys National School in Terenure, Dublin.

Mr Ó Coigligh said Ryan was in the playground when he stumbled on an uneven surface and fell, injuring his left hand. He had later been taken to the emergency department of Our Lady’s Children Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin.

Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke heard that X-rays revealed a fracture in Ryan’s hand and he had needed to wear a plaster of Paris cast for a number of weeks.

Through his father, Brian Alcock, of Garville Avenue, Rathgar, Dublin, Ryan sued the school for negligence.

Mr Ó Coigligh, who appeared with solicitors JT Flynn & Co, said that following an assessment by the Personal Injuries Board, the defendant had made an €18,095 offer which he recommended to the court.

Judge Groarke, hearing that Ryan was a keen footballer and that his hand was now “as good as new,” approved the offer.