Brain damaged teenager secures €2.5m settlement

A teenage boy who is brain damaged and confined to a wheelchair has secured €2.5m settlement of his High Court action against a doctor over alleged negligence in the treatment of his mother while pregnant with him.

The settlement is without admission of liability.

It was claimed Enda Brien’s mother Jenny, when 37 weeks pregnant, suddenly developed severe pain under her left ribs and was diagnosed with lower back pain and given painkillers by her GP, Dr Patrick O’Brien.

Within 12 hours, her placenta had come away and her baby was born brain damaged, it was alleged.

Dr O’Brien denied the claims, including of negligence, and pleaded he was entitled to diagnose back pain and that lower back pain is common in the last tremester of pregnancy.

Enda Brien, now aged 13, of Derrew, Killimor, Ballinasloe, Co Galway had, through his mother, sued Dr O'Brien, a GP who practises at Kiltormer, Co Galway.

The High Court was told the boy’s proceedings against the HSE had been dismissed earlier.