Widow awarded €5m in High Court action
The widow of a solicitor who died after an operation to prevent blushing yesterday settled a High Court action for damages for €5m.
Father of three Alan Synnott died over two years ago, a few days after undergoing surgery at the Bon Secours Private Hospital.
His widow, Eleanor had sued Austin Leahy, a surgeon attatched to the Bon Secours Hospital, Glasnevin who carried out the operation.
The High Court today approved the settlement which included €4m for Mrs Synnott and over €200,000 each for the solicitors three children Lisa, aged 13, William, aged12, and Lydia, aged 7.
Approving the settlement Mr Justice Vivian Lavan extended his sympathy to the Synnott family and said he knew it was a great tragedy. An inquest in to the death of the solicitor heard he suffered a haemorrhage after a vein and artery were damaged during the operation in March 2003.
His condition deteriorated and a scan showed later that he had suffered brain damage.
Mr Synnott who was in his early 40s when he died, was one of the county's best known personal injuries solicitors and was the principal of Lawline Solicitors in Christchurch Hall, Dublin.
His wife who lives with their children in South Dublin claimed that her husband had been referred to Mr Leahy on March 11, 2003.
The solicitor was suffering from social phobia and facial blushing which was interfering with his ability to speak in public and run his office. The letter of referral indicated Mr Synnott was seeking advice in respect of undergoing an operation to prevent the blushing.
Mr Leahy when he saw the solicitor on March 18, 2003 formed the view he would benefit from the operation and obtained a written consent form.
It was claimed the consent form indicated the risks from the operation were dry hand, compensatroy sweating , Horner's Syndrome and the need for a chest drain.
On March 27 Mr Synnott was admitted to the Bon Secours Private Hospital. The operation involved inserting a tubular device into the chest cavity. Following unsucessful attempts the angle of entry was changed and the tube put in an upward manner.
It was claimed that massive bleeding occurred when the subclavian vessels and lung were damaged. Emergency surgery had to be carried out and Mr Synnott according to court papers lost over three times his total blood volume in a three and a half hour period.
The next day Mr Synnott was transferred to the |Beaumont Hospital intensive care unit . Scans revealed Mr Synott required urgent decompression and he was taken to the operating theatre where a burr hole was made in his skull to drain off fluid.
Over the next 24 hours the solicitor did not show evidence of recovery of cerebral function and on March 30th tests showed he had suffered brain stem death.
Mr Synnott according to court papers enjoyed his family life and had built up a larege and very sucessful practice.
His family were deeply attatched to him and it was claimed they have suffered and continue to suffer mental distress by reason of his death.
Outside the court Mrs Synnott said the last two and a half years had been extremely difficult. She said she was delighted to put it behind her and she thanked her legal team.
"This has given me closure but no money is going to compensate me for the enormous loss of my wonderful husband and father of my children, " she said.
