Court to determine future care costs for opera singer left severely disabled

An award-winning part-time opera singer, who was left severely disabled after a hospital and a GP failed to properly diagnose the cause of her headaches and who settled her action with an interim payment of €2.39m, has now asked the High Court to determine the cost of her future care.

The High Court has to assess future care costs for Elaine Lennon, aged 38, who can now only speak in a whisper, is a wheelchair user, and will require 24-hour care for the rest of her life because doctors failed to diagnose an infection in her brain.

A previous court sitting heard she would have been fine if a CT scan of her brain had been carried out in time.

She was 39 weeks pregnant at the time of her injury in 2007, when she almost died, and gave birth to a baby girl, Claudia.

Her counsel, Denis McCullough, yesterday told Ms Justice Mary Irvine that Ms Lennon now speaks slowly, and that it was a tragedy because she had been an accomplished opera singer. He said she needs 24-hour care.

Suing through her father John Lennon, Elaine, formerly of Newhaven Bay, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, brought the action against the HSE and Dr Patrick Ó Mathúna, a GP at Castle Mill Medical Centre, Balbriggan. Liability was admitted by both defendants.

It was alleged she arrived at the emergency department of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth, on Feb 4, 2007, complaining of headaches.

She was later assessed by a midwife and underwent a caesarean section.

Ms Lennon continued to complain of headaches, neck stiffness, and was not responding to antibiotics. Doctors at the hospital twice queried whether she should have a CT scan but none was carried out. She was discharged on Feb 11 along with her baby, it was claimed.

She collapsed at her home on Feb 17 and had two seizures the next day.