Boxer who swallowed dental instrument settles damages case

Irish boxing champion Ceire Smith, who sued alleging her boxing career was damaged after she swallowed a sharp dental instrument during root canal treatment, has settled her High Court action.

The terms of settlement are confidential. During the opening of her case, her counsel claimed the 25-year-old Cavan Boxing Club flyweight could have been “the next Katie Taylor”.

Boxing coach Billy Walsh, who flew in from Colorado, was due to give evidence Ms Smith would have qualified for Rio 2016 and was expected to get a medal, her counsel Michael J McMahon SC said.

The case opened on Tuesday and when it was due to resume before Mr Justice Moriarty today, he was told it had settled. The judge said he was very glad to hear that. Having read the papers in the action overnight, it was a “troubling case”, he said.

He wished Ms Smith every success in the future in the advancement of her career. Ms Smith, a student from Ballyhaise, had sued her dentist, Rachael Frazer, and the Health Service Executive after the sharp instrument dropped down her throat during root canal treatment in October 2013.

Rio Olympics

She claimed she was told it would pass through her system but it instead travelled inside her body, lodging near her hip only centimetres from her femoral artery. The instrument was eventually taken out in September 2014 during surgery.

Counsel handed photos into court of the instrument, which he said was sharp and was a barbed broach instrument. During this time, Mr McMahon said the boxer was in training as an elite athlete for qualifiers to compete in the Rio Olympics.

Liability had been admitted in the case and it was before the court for assessment of damages only. It was alleged the dentist failed to use dental floss or other material to attach to the instrument so it could be retrieved and not swallowed and had advised Ms Smith the piece of equipment would be passed by her in days and it was “just a little bit of metal”.

Against the HSE, Ms Smith claimed there was a failure to refer her on to a gastroenterologist who could have arranged imaging to track and check on the position of the instrument and undertake appropriate management. She further claimed she was advised she was fit to engage in boxing competition.

Performed badly

Ms Smith claimed she competed in the multi-nations competition in March 2014 in Germany but felt very weak and performed badly. In April that year, she competed in Poland and lost and had severe abdominal pain. She went back to Cavan General Hospital at the end of April 2014 but was told she could continue to compete, she claimed.

In September 2014, she returned to the hospital in pain but was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. After investigations, she had two bouts of surgery and the instrument was removed in late September 2014. She was unable to partake in the world championships in South Korea in November 2014 and claimed this was damaging to her career and hugely upsetting for her.