Former pet-shop worker wins substantial settlement from store and HSE

A former pet-shop worker, who claimed she was brain damaged after an infection caught from exotic birds, said today that she has been "imprisoned" in a hospital room since developing the illness.

Patricia Ingle, who has quadriplegia and needs 24-hour care, agreed a substantial settlement at the High Court today.

Ms Ingle was a fit, healthy, 19 year-old working in the Petmania store in Limerick when she developed headaches and began vomiting.

She had caught a serious brain infection, her lawyers say, from the exotic parrots and parakeets kept in the shop.

The now-22-year-old sued the pet store and the HSE claiming her condition was not treated early enough.

Patricia says she has been imprisoned in a hospital room for 1000 days through no fault of her own.

Struggling to speak through a voice box outside Court she repeated: 'Now I am free'.