Judge asks if €4m compensation is enough

A High Court judge has expressed concern about whether a €4m settlement will be enough to care for a 24-year-old Dublin woman who was run over by a car.

Student Jennifer Courtney of Westpark Estate, Artane, suffered brain trauma and is wheelchair bound after being knocked down crossing Tonglegee Road, Coolock on November 17th 2007.

The €4m settlement is based on her living until she is 61 and before she approves the deal Ms Justice Mary Irvine has asked the woman's barrister to submit an opinion as to why he believes this sum is adequate.

The judge said: "We are operating an outdated, ineffective and unjust system of awarding damages to catastrophically injured people… because we don't know when they will die."