Toddler run over by ESB repair man awarded €65,000

A one-year-old boy had crawled out his open front door and onto the driveway when an Electricity Supply Board repair man accidentally reversed over him, a High Court has heard.

Conor O’Gorman suffered a broken arm in the accident at his home in Co. Tipperary in February 2016.

He was awarded just under €65,000 in damages yesterday following an assessment of his case, taken on his behalf by his mother Helen O’Gorman.

His counsel, Aidan Doyle SC, told the court that Conor, who had recently had his first birthday, had been at home with his mother at their home at the time, in Fethard.

Mr Doyle said: ‘An ESB man arrived to carry out repairs in the house.

‘He left the front door open, and the plaintiff crawled out onto the front drive. The ESB employee finished work and went out.

‘He reversed his car over the plaintiff, causing a fracture to the ulna in his right arm.’

The case was taken against the ESB and Actavo (Ireland) Ltd, and it was claimed that the employee, who was not named in court, had been negligent in the operation, care and control of his vehicle.

Baby Conor was taken to his GP, and subsequently was brought by ambulance to South Tipperary General Hospital.

He was diagnosed with the broken arm, kept in overnight and placed in a cast. A week later, he was referred for surgery, and Mr Doyle said the fracture required a plate and screws, which were removed after a further four weeks.

‘I’m happy to say he has made a full recovery, but there is a psychiatric element,’ counsel added.

Judge Garrett Simons noted that the boy, who is now four and living in Killenaule, Co. Tipperary, had developed a fear of cars.

Mr Doyle said the case had been assessed by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board as being worth €60,000 in general damages, plus €4,511 in special damages, or expenses.

Judge Simons said he would approve the award of damages to Conor, saying that the settlement was appropriate in the circumstances.