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Young boy trapped in lift gets €40,000

By July 11, 2019 No Comments

Young boy trapped in lift gets €40,000

A seven-year-old boy, who was trapped in a lift for less than an hour, has been awarded damages of €40,000 in the Circuit Civil Court.

Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke heard that the lift had to be broken open after Jamie Ward, of Abbot Court, Cualanor, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, had been trapped at the block of flats where he lived.

Barrister Siobhán Kelly, counsel for Jamie, told the court that the lift had suddenly lost power – leaving Jamie, now 10, and his father trapped inside. She said there had been unsuccessful attempts to open the doors by his dad and others trapped inside.

Ms Kelly said that after five minutes Jamie, who sued the lift company and the flats complex through his father, John Ward, had panicked when an alarm had sounded, causing further distress. He suffered from asthma and his father, on the emergency phone, warned that the lift was becoming extremely hot inside.

Ms Kelly said that only on the fourth alarm call had Mr Ward been informed the fire brigade had not been alerted.

But after 40 minutes the emergency services had arrived, went to the floor above and eventually the trapped people were rescued.

The joint defendants, Limerick-based Orona Midwestern Lifts Limited and Wyse Property Management Ltd, Dublin made a settlement offer of €40,000, which was approved.

Irish Independent