A £293,867 award by a High Court judge to a seaman who received "devastating" facial injuries in an accident on board a German ship at Dublin Port was reduced to £217,867 by the Supreme Court yesterday. Mr Ramon C. Ramos (38), a father of three, of Bagong, Silang, Kalookan City, the Philippines, had sued Kapitan Manfred Draxl Schiffahrts GMBH, of Haren, Germany, owners of the motor vessel Jane.
In the appeal against the extent of the award, the £250,000 for general damages was reduced to £150,000. In a crossappeal taken by Mr Ramos, however, an award for loss of future earnings was raised from £16,000 to £40,000.
In the High Court Mr Justice Smith had said the staff of Dublin's Mater Hospital had "put this man's face together and also saved his life". Mr Ramos was hit in the face by a steel winch handle as a lifeboat was being lowered from the ship in March 1997.