Woman awarded €10m for catastrophic crash injuries

A young woman has secured €10 million in settlement of her action over catastrophic injuries suffered when the car in which she was a front-seat passenger crashed and went off the road in September 2010.

Lydia Branley (28), Largydonnell, Kinlough, Co Leitrim, had to be cut from the BMW car when it ended up in a stream after the driver lost control at 150km/h as he turned off a main road on to a slip road and the car skidded and went over two barriers.

Ms Branley, who was wearing her seatbelt at the time, was in a coma for nine months afterwards. The former aviation controller lost the use of her limbs as a result of the accident at Drumiskabole outside Sligo town on September 30th, 2010.

The driver of the car, Martin Kearney (31), Faranoo, Ballina, Co Mayo, was sentenced in June 2012 to six years imprisonment, with two years suspended, for dangerous driving in relation to the accident.

When jailing Mr Kearney, Judge Tony Hunt, referring to Ms Branley, said he could not recall seeing anyone being "so seriously and tragically maimed as a result of a road accident".

In High Court proceedings, Ms Branley sued Martin Kearney, the driver of the car, and, in his capacity as owner of the car, his father Michael Kearney, also Faranoo, Ballina.

Ms Justice Mary Irvine was told yesterday the case had settled. The judge described the settlement as "excellent" and approved it.