Cork teenager with cerebral palsy secures €3.5m High Court award

A 14-year-old Cork boy who has cerebral palsy from birth has settled a High Court action against the HSE for €3.5m.

Lawyers for Cian Mangan of Fairfield Road, Farranree claim medical staff delayed in reacting to signs of foetal distress during his delivery at St Finbar's Hospital in Cork on June 1, 1996.

There was no admission of liability.

His mother Michelle Mangan welcomed today's settlement for her "fantastic" son, who has received a lot of physiotherapy.

"Once he's happy in our house, we're all happy," said Ms Mangan.

She has immediate plans to buy a motorised wheelchair for Cian with the money awarded today.

When told the teen is a fan of Man Utd and Munster rugby, Judge Brian McGovern joked: "I won't hold that against him."

Ms Mangan, who was 18 at the time of her son's birth and was in her first pregnancy, was overdue when she arrived already in labour at St Finbar's Hospital.

Her lawyers claimed Cian had suffered brain damage that resulted in cerebral palsy because of critical delays by medical staff in detecting foetal distress at a time when "alarm bells should have been ringing".