Apprentice plumber awarded over 1m for car crash injuries

Mr Justice Cross said: I believe Mr O Riordan has been injured and damaged just as signficiantly as someone who has lost the use of all their limbs.

An apprentice plumber whose nose split down the middle when the car in which he was a passenger was involved in a crash has been awarded over 1 million damages by the High Court.

As a result of psychiatric injuries, Freddie ORiordan is likely for the foreseeable future to be a shell of his former self, said Mr Justice Kevin Cross.

Awarding a total of 1.14 million, the judge said he believed Mr Riordan had been injured just as significantly as someone who lost the use of all their limbs. The judge granted a stay in the event of an appeal on the basis that there is an immediate payout of 600,000 to Mr ORiordan.

Mr ORiordan (26) of Rush, Co Dublin, had sued Bernard Dempsey of St Catherines Grove, Rush, and Kevin Byrne of St Catherines Drive, Rush, Co Dublin, as a result of the injuries caused in a crash on Loughshinny Hill, North Co Dublin, on July 11th, 2007.

Mr ORiordan was a back-seat passenger in a car driven by Mr Dempsey when the car was struck from behind by a car driven by Mr Byrne. Mr Justice Cross said the accident was frightening and significant and it resulted in the vehicle in which Mr ORiordan was passenger being shunted forward and spinning and rolling over a few times.

Mr O Riordans head hit the back window and, even though he was wearing a seatbelt, he was was thrown forward with his nose striking the car with such force that the windows steel frame was dented.

Mr O Riordans nose was split down the middle but the judge said it was very skilfully and expertly repaired by a plastic surgeon. Given the severity of the physical injury, Mr Justice Cross said the surgical recovery was remarkable.

The major injury sustained by Mr O Riordan, the judge said, was the psychological and psychiatric reaction after the crash and he is suffering from body dysmorphic disorder. He and also developed post traumatic stress disorder at one stage.

Mr Justice Cross accepted that from a very early stage Mr ORiordan was entirely dissatisfied with his physical appearance and he went on to develop a serious and significant psychiatric problem which has persisted and is persisting.

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Apprentice plumber awarded over 1m for car crash injuries