Child injured in fall off monkey bars in playground settles action for €50k

Boy, who was seven when accident happened, fractured his arm and has been left with scar, court heard

It was claimed there was an alleged failure to provide an adequate and safe ground surface at the playground. Picture: Laura Hutton/RollingNews.ie

A child who fell off monkey bars in a playground and fractured his elbow has settled a High Court action for €50,000.

Kye Harrison was seven years of age when the accident happened at the playground at Naas racecourse.

Kye Harrison, now 14, of Elsmore Gate, Naas, Co Kildare, had through his mother Lesley Harrison sued The Naas Race Company, a public limited company, as a result of the fall at the playground at Tipper Road, Tipper West, Naas, on January 8, 2017.

It was claimed there was an alleged failure to provide an adequate and safe ground surface at the playground.

The court heard an engineer’s report on behalf of the Harrison side contended the wood chippings on the surface of the playground lacked a sufficient depth and it would be argued the surface should have been at a particular depth.

In an affidavit to the court, the child’s mother said Kye was seven years of age at the time and was playing when the accident happened.

She said her son sustained an injury to his left arm. He was assessed by the racecourse doctor and his arm put in a sling before he was transferred to hospital.

The boy had to have surgery and has been left with a 6cm surgical scar. The child was in a plaster for six weeks after the accident but has now fully recovered.

Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Garret Simons noted the child had made a good recovery . The judge said the €50,000 settlement represented the full value of the case.