A BOY who went on to become a Paralympic medal winner after his left leg was amputated below the knee after he fell from a school bus has secured €950,000 damages in settlement of his High Court action.
Paul Byrne was five at the time of the accident and later won six gold medals for swimming in the Paralympics. Now aged 17, Mr Byrne, through his mother Sharon Deans, Donomore Avenue, Killinarden, Tallaght, had sued Paul Morton, trading as Morton Coach Hire, and the bus driver, Brian Corcoran, Landon Road, Ballyfermot, arising from the accident in October 1997.
Liability was contested and contributory negligence on Mr Byrne’s part was pleaded. The defendants claimed the boy got off the bus before it stopped.
In Mr Byrne’s claim, it was claimed Mr Byrne was on the top step of a flight of three steps waiting for the bus to stop and the front door of the bus opened while the bus was approaching the stop.
It was claimed Mr Byrne was holding a handle when he fell, although it was not certain whether his hand slipped, or whether the bus stopped suddenly, or both. Mr Byrne fell out very close to the bus with his legs going under the front wheel and had to undergo a below-knee amputation two days later. His mother had ceased employment to look after him, Dr John O’Mahony SC, for Mr Byrne, said. Mr Byrne planned to become a computer programmer, counsel added.
Describing the award as “an extremely good settlement”, Mr Justice John Quirke paid tribute to Mr Byrne’s swimming achievements, describing him as the “real McCoy”.