Charlesland Teenager Gets €52,000 After Goalpost Fall

he incident happened when she was 13, at the Arklow Leisure Centre on August 27th 2016.

Angelica Riabusko and her mother, Marina, wandered onto a pitch after they noticed that the gate was open.

Swinging on the goalposts, Angelica suddenly felt the structure collapse, causing the teenager to hit her head off the ground and, later, receive stitches on her forehead.

And now, the 17-year-old Angelica, suing by her mother, Marina, of Charlesland Park, took Wicklow County Council to court and secured €52,000.

Counsel for Ms Riabusko said a full defence had been filed in the Circuit Court and it was decided to bring the case to the High Court because of the possibility his client may decide to have cosmetic surgery in the future on her forehead. He also stated that the defence had pleaded contributory negligence and raised issues whether Ms Riabusko and her mother should have been in that section of the centre that day.

The judge, Mr Justice Garrett Simons, also pointed out that the girl had fallen while swinging from a goalpost in the presence of her mother and serious issues were raised concerning liability and contributory negligence

That impacted on the size of the settlement, the judge pointing out that the €50,000, plus special damages of €2,091, was close to the full value of the case, with a discount for contributory negligence.

This was, he concluded, a “very good” settlement, given the likelihood that Ms Riabusko would have done worse if the case went to trial.