Compensation for injuries sustained during "heavy" Ryanair landing

A 27-year-old woman who claimed she suffered whiplash injuries during a ‘heavy’ landing of a Ryanair plane has been awarded more than €19,000 damages in the Circuit Civil Court.

Rose Collins, an IT worker, told the court that in February 2012 she had been on a London to Dublin flight when, during the landing at Dublin Airport, the plane bounced a couple times on the runway, skidded and came to a sharp halt.

Ms Collins said she was thrown forward, her head hitting the seat in front of her. The court heard a tyre on the plane had blown out and the Fire Brigade rushed to the scene.

“I’ve never been on a landing like that, smacking my face on the seat in front of me,” Ms Collins said.

She told her barrister, Robert Fitzpatrick, that immediately after disembarking she had felt pain in her ribs. She had later developed pain in her neck, shoulders and lower back and had afterwards attended her GP.

Ms Collins, with a previous address at Farndreg Estate, Dundalk, Co Louth, and who now lives in Las Vegas, USA, said she had needed to take painkillers and had to leave her job at the time because of her back pain. The now mother of a six-months-o0ld child sued Ryanair Holding Plc for negligence.

Mr Fitzpatrick, who appeared with LawPlus solicitors, said Ryanair had admitted liability and Ms Collins’ case had become an assessment of the damages only.

Ryanair had claimed the landing had been a soft one and Ms Collins had been the only one, out of 172 passengers, to have complained about injuries suffered during that flight.

Judge Hannan, awarding Ms Collins €19,220 damages, said he was satisfied she had tried to self-manage and medicate her injuries as best she could.