Accident left student with severe brain injury

A YOUNG nursing student was left with a severe brain injury after his car was struck head-on by another car driven on the wrong side of the road by a young man who was racing in convoy and playing a game of “catch up” with another vehicle, the High Court heard yesterday.

Before the collision six years ago, Anthony Cunningham, of Ardfinnan, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, was aged 25 with a promising future ahead of him as a psychiatric nurse, a girlfriend with whom he planned to settle down and “everything to look forward to”, Liam Reidy SC said. However, that had all changed.

The accident occurred on March 4, 2001, when Mr Cunningham, with a number of friends, was driving back to Limerick where he was studying to be a psychiatric nurse, the court heard.

A car driven by Steve Quigley from the Limerick direction struck Mr Cunningham’s car head-on at Miltown, Ballysimon Road, Co Limerick.

Quigley, of Tortulla, Thurles, Co Tipperary, who has admitted liability, had been in Limerick earlier with his girlfriend and was driving in convoy with another car, racing and playing a game of “catch up”, counsel said.

Quigley had moved to overtake another vehicle and that was when he hit Mr Cunningham’s car.

Mr Cunningham was brought deeply unconscious to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital with head, neck and ankle injuries and remained on artificial ventilation in the intensive care unit for about two weeks.

After that he made some progress, but not the progress anticipated and a MRI scan of October 2002 showed there had been a wasting of brain tissue. Mr Cunningham had been left with a serious brain injury and his enjoyment of life had been devastated.

Mr Cunningham, 31, has mobility and cognitive problems, is living at home with his elderly parents who are caring for him, would probably never work again, and his relationship with his girlfriend whom he had hoped to marry had ended about two years after the accident, counsel said. He also had problems with his ankle, his eyes and experienced mood changes. He would need assistance to be able to live independently and would require care into the future.

With Jeremy Maher SC, Mr Reidy was opening the action by Mr Cunningham against Steve Quigley and Mr Quigley’s father, Thomas, the owner of the car which was being driven by his son on the date of the accident. Liability has been admitted and the case is proceeding as an assessment of damages only.

In evidence, Margaret Cunningham, Mr Cunningham’s mother, said Anthony was the youngest of her 10 children. Before the accident he was bright and ambitious, had countless friends and was “a party animal”. Having been a hospital porter for six years, he wanted to be a nurse and had begun his training. He would still love to be a nurse “but never now”.

Ms Cunningham said she had learned of the accident when Anthony’s girlfriend, concerned about his failure to phone her as he usually did to say he was back in Limerick, rang him on his mobile phone. The phone was answered by a garda who said the man who owned the phone had been in an accident. The family then endured a terrible few weeks seeing Anthony in hospital.

When he came home, he was in a wheelchair and “totally an invalid”, Ms Cunningham said.

His personality had changed, he could be aggressive, hurtful and angry.

The case will run for several days before Mr Justice Paul Butler.