Court awards €4.5m to boy whose parents took case against HSE
The High Court has approved a €4.5m settlement to a 14-year-old Sligo boy with cerebral palsy and severe spastic quadriplegia.
The mother of Evan Doyle of Mountain Close, Cartron View sued the HSE, claiming his condition was a result of the mismanagement of her labour at Sligo General Hospital in October 1995.
Evan weighed just over 3kgs and was described as being floppy, pale and grunting after his delivery by forceps on October 6, 2005.
He went on to develop cerebral palsy and spastic quadroplegia.
His mother Janice Doyle sued the HSE, claiming that during the labour she had inappropriately been given double the recommended dose of the drug Prostin which gave her excessively frequent contractions.
The HSE made no admission of liability.
Mr Justice John Quirke today approved the deal but said he was sorry he could not give the Doyles more security.
He also questioned the speculative methods used in cases such as Evan's to assess the future cost of his care.
Outside court Evan's father John Doyle said: "It was never about money…I wanted answers. I got my answers."
