Doctor wrongly denied blame for accident involving schoolgirl, court told

A doctor who drove her car at speed through a red light, knocking down and catastrophically injuring a schoolgirl, blamed the teenager for the accident, the High Court has heard.

Scurrilous allegations were made and an “utterly dishonest” account was given by the doctor, Shereen El Mashad, following the accident, meaning the 14-year-old was blamed for it for four years, Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds was told.

Ashleigh Carroll, who has been left brain-damaged and who has sued Dr El Mashad in the High Court, has also asked the court to award aggravated damages in the case.

Ms Carroll’s counsel, Richard Kean SC, instructed by Keira O’Reilly of Keans Solicitors, told the court it has to mark its revulsion at the behaviour. Counsel said the doctor worked at Beaumont Hospital at the time and was on her way there when the accident happened on the morning of October 20th, 2016.

He said the doctor was not in court and had gone back to her native Egypt. The doctor’s account of the accident in Coolock, Dublin was “utterly dishonest”, he said, and if this defence had prevailed Ms Carroll would not get compensation for her horrific injuries.

Mr Kean said an Irish arrest warrant exists for the doctor in relation to the accident.

The doctor’s insurers, Axa Insurance, had waited for four years to admit liability “when they knew their client was on the run”, he said.

Ashleigh Carroll, now aged 19 years, from Glasnevin, Dublin, has through her mother, Louise Carroll, sued the driver of the car, Dr El Mashad.

It is claimed the teenager was lawfully traversing a public footpath near Oscar Traynor Road, Coolock, and was in the process of crossing a roadway when a vehicle driven by the doctor, and in particular the wing mirror, was caused to collide with Ms Carroll causing her to spin, fall to the ground and hit her head.

Mr Kean said liability was admitted in November last year and the doctor admits to reckless driving, going through a red light, driving at speed and driving in a bus lane.

At the opening of the case, Mr Kean said Ms Carroll had at the time of the accident been thriving at school. He said she was academically inclined and had hoped to study forensic anthropology in Harvard along with medicine.

He said she was in her second year of secondary school.

Referring to the defence filed by the doctor in the case, Mr Kean said it claimed Ms Carroll ran across the road, colliding with her car. Counsel said the schoolgirl was walking.

The doctor had also claimed Ms Carroll created a public nuisance and hazard by her actions and the manner in which she attempted to cross the road. The doctor claimed she had run into the side of the her car.

Counsel said the doctor said in a statement to gardaí­ that she was 100 per cent sure she went through the lights when were amber and she felt something hit her car.

The case before Ms Justice Reynolds continues on Friday.