Amazing Grace wins €4.25m for brain damage
Wednesday October 22 2008
She sat giggling while all the people in funny white wigs fussed around on her behalf inside Court Three, just off the round hall of the Four Courts in Dublin.
A little girl with a huge smile, seven-year-old Grace Stynes was said to be just looking forward to Halloween and all the goodies she will get.
For the briefest of moments her happy smile vanished. She burst into tears as her birth was discussed and she was taken outside by her mother Sabrina.
Grace, described as a real fighter, won a major battle yesterday to help make her life with cerebral palsy as comfortable as possible.
She suffered brain damage at birth due to a lack of oxygen to the brain and yesterday she was awarded €4.25m after she sued Coombe Women's Hospital, Dublin.
Although the first seven years of her life have not been easy, Grace has been "a source of tremendous joy and great pride" to soldier parents Michael and Sabrina Stynes, the family told reporters after the case ended.
Grace took the case against the hospital, through her mother, for what she claimed was the mismanagement of her birth in February 2001. The award was made without admission of liability.
Approving the settlement in the High Court, Mr Justice Michael Hanna said in the midst of the tragedy it was a blessing that Grace was intellectually sound.
Spirit
Speaking afterwards through family solicitor Ann Nolan, her parents said their daughter was a "fighter with real spirit".
As Grace smiled from her wheelchair with big pink wheels, she heard herself described as a girl "who makes the best of everything".
Mr and Mrs Stynes, of Curragh View, Brownstown, Co Kildare, thanked their families, Enable Ireland, and their employers, the Defence Forces, for years of support and said they were looking forward to the future.
Court documents alleged errors in the management of her mother's labour were responsible for Grace's cerebral palsy.
It was also alleged that Sabrina Stynes was wrongly given the drug Syntocinon during labour, which caused foetal distress.
It was claimed that valuable time was lost in attempts to deliver Grace, first by forceps and subsequently by caesarean section.
She was deprived of oxygen at a critical time leading to brain damage, which has left her with significant physical impairment.
The court heard that her life expectancy would probably be reduced, possibly by 25pc, because of what happened to her.
She will require speech and language therapy along with occupational therapy and physical therapy.
It was alleged that the hospital failed to continuously monitor Sabrina during her labour.
It was also alleged the hospital failed to respond to a request from Grace's father Michael that a caesarean section be conducted at an early stage to avoid the eventual traumatic delivery and severe injury to Grace's head during forceps delivery.
- Ciaran Byrne
