Court awards €323,000 to man seriously injured while cutting ivy

A handyman who fell 4m to the ground while clipping ivy at a mansion in Co Kildare has been awarded €323,000 damages by the High Court.

Stacumny House, childhood home of actress Danielle Ryan, daughter of the late Cathal Ryan and  grandaughter of Ryanair founder Tony Ryan, was sold in 2013.

Mr Justice Anthony Barr said Martin Ruffley suffered a significant injury as a result of the incident and he was satisfied his pain is genuine and he is affected by ongoing pain and disability. The judge accepted Mr Ruffley also suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mr Ruffley, Kilcullen, Co Kildare had sued Cathal Ryan and Danielle Ryan, trading as Lala Investments, as a result of the fall while working at Stacumny House, Celbridge, on June 12th, 2012.

Mr Ruffley, a general handyman, lived in a house on the Staumny estate and was cutting ivy from the upper part of the house on the date of the incident. While stepping from a ladder onto the scaffolding, the scaffolding moved and he fell to the ground.