A schoolgirl who broke her arm while cartwheeling from a vaulting horse in a gymnastics class has lost her £30,000 personal injuries claim against her school.
Louise O'Donovan (16), of Beech Hill, Donnybrook, Dublin, sued St Mary's National School on the grounds of alleged negligence and breach of duty.
She told the Circuit Civil Court she was performing the exercise for the first time and had panicked when her teacher, Ms Bernadette Cotter, had walked away just as she was about to cartwheel.
Ms Cotter told Mr Finbarr Fox, counsel for St Mary's, that Louise was an excellent gymnast and was capable of performing the exercise independent of close supervision.
She told Mr Fox she had not witnessed the accident. She had been helping a boy who had got into difficulties on a climbing apparatus.
Judge James Carroll said the school had taken reasonable care, which was all it had to do.