Little boy left ‘locked in’ gets €17m payout af ter blunder
A FOUR-YEAR-OLD boy who suffered catastrophic brain injuries at a Limerick hospital has been paid the final chunk of a total settlement of €17.2million.
Charlie Enright had sued the HSE, through his mother, over the circumstances of his birth at the Midwestern Regional Maternity Hospital in 2013.
Yesterday, the little boy secured a final payment of €15.5million in damages, following an interim payment of €1.75million two years ago.
When Charlie’s case first came before the High Court in 2016, the judge was told his mother, Caitríona, was admitted to the hospital on August 19, 2013 and a decision was made to induce labour that night. Ms Enright, who represented her son, had claimed that staff at the hospital had misinterpreted a trace of foetal heart rate and had only belatedly recognised foetal distress.
It was claimed medics had caused hyperstimulation of her womb, by the continued use of syntocinon – a drug used to speed up labour. By the time Charlie was born, at 9.21pm the following day, he was said to be in a flat condition, with no heartbeat. He was resuscitated, but an MRI scan showed signs of a haemorrhage inside his skull, affecting his motor functions.
Charlie had been deprived of oxygen, the court heard.
It was said that the HSE had failed to take appropriate action in response to an abnormal trace, and had failed to supervise Charlie’s delivery adequately.
Speaking about her son yesterday, Ms Enright, of Raheen, Ballyneety, Co. Limerick, said: ‘Charlie is a remarkable little boy.
‘He has surpassed all our expectations, he is amazing, funny, happy. He brings so much joy, amid all the pain.’
She confirmed that as well as paying for carers to help herself and her husband, Anthony, much of the money from the first settlement had been spent building a new home for Charlie. It is hoped the house, built on a site adjacent to the family home, will allow Charlie live independently, with his carers, once he is an adult.
The settlement also allowed them to see a neurologist in Dallas, Texas, who also has cerebral palsy, and who has given the family hope, advice and access to specialists to help Charlie.
Charlie is cognitively intact, the court heard, but is physically very disabled. His mother said he was starting to pull himself to a standing position and to want to push his own wheelchair.
She said: ‘His understanding is brilliant, the problem is he’s locked in. Communication is the problem. But we are working on it with communication devices.’
Ms Enright said the family had successfully battled to win Charlie a place at their local national school, where he will start in September, with the help of a special needs assistant.
He will have the company of seven of his cousins there, which she hoped would help him integrate with the other pupils.
Ms Enright said she had taken a career break from her job at AIB, and will decide next year if she will return to work once Charlie’s house is finished.
High Court President Peter Kelly said yesterday: ‘I am satisfied on the basis of what I have heard that this is a good offer... which should be accepted and approved of.’
He added that Charlie’s parents had been exemplary, and he wished the family well for the future.
Ms Enright told the court that the HSE’s swift admission of liability in the case and cooperation with the legal proceedings had helped both her and her son.
She said it had enabled Charlie to receive therapies which helped him make massive improvements in his physical movement and his communication over the past two years.
helen.bruce@dailymail.ie
‘His understanding is brilliant’