A man will receive €2 million and costs in settlement of his High Court action claiming he sustained serious injuries and is paraplegic after falling from an unsteady scaffold during the dismantling of a shed used at the National Ploughing Championships in 2000.
Mr Martin Redmond (35), a married man with two sons, of Arthurstown, New Ross, Co Wexford, took the action against Mr Thomas Frederick Kelly, a businessman of Mossbank Road, Portadown, Northern Ireland.
Mr Kelly held the franchise for American Steel Span Q Series Buildings for Ireland involving the sale, supply, installation and construction of steel-arch type buildings, and carried on business at Breagh Drive, Carn Industrial Estate, Portadown. An insurer and an insurance broker firm, against which Mr Kelly sought indemnity, were later joined as third parties to the proceedings.
Yesterday, Mr Hugh Mohan SC, for Mr Kelly, told Mr Justice de Valera a settlement had been reached in the case. Under the settlement, Mr Redmond will be paid €1.15 million by A.D Laverty and Kimberley Laverty of P.D. Insurances; some €666,000 by Allianz Northern Ireland and €175,000 by Mr Kelly. The costs will be met by the two insurance parties.
In his statement of claim, Mr Redmond alleged that, before the accident, he had asked Mr Kelly about securing an agency from Mr Kelly for his buildings. At Mr Kelly's request, Mr Redmond attended the National Ploughing Championships at Ballacolla in Co Laois in September 2000 to see a demonstration of the erection and dismantling of a steel arch building by Mr Kelly.
Mr Redmond claimed the defendant failed to employ trained and skilled staff and allowed workers to follow a dangerous and unsafe system of work in dismantling the shed unit and in permitting Mr Redmond to partake in such a task.
He claimed there was a failure to provide proper equipment for the dismantling task which meant the bolts holding the arches on the shed were removed when it was dangerous to do so. He claimed this caused the scaffold to become unsteady and fall. As a result Mr Redmond said he was taken by ambulance to Portlaoise Hospital and received a severe injury to his fourth thoracic vertebra.
Since the accident, his wife had to quit her job to help him.