A 5-year-old boy was awarded €41k in settlement of a personal injury compensation claim after pulling a bowl of hot soup onto himself at a coffee shop and sustaining severe burns at the Airfield Estate, Dundrum, Dublin when he was six months old. 

The child was with his father and grandfather when the incident happened on May 10, 2015. The child’s legal council Carl Hanahoe BL informed presiding judge Justice Kevin Cross that their meal order of sandwiches and soup was brought directly to the table and the soup allegedly placed in front of the infant. The child allegedly grabbed the soup bowl from the table and the liquid spilled all over him causing scald burns. His father took legal action against the Airfield Estate following the alleged incident.

The judge was informed that the child was rushed to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, where he was found to have second-degree burns on both hands, left leg and his right foot. The right side of his face, right hand, and inside of his left elbow showed a visible redness.

He was referred to the plastic surgery department after more than three percent of his body sustained burns, where his wounds were cleaned and sterile dressings were applied. Two days after his eight-day admission to the hospital, he developed a fever and suffered from early toxic shock syndrome. He was discharged on May 18, 2015, after his fever dropped and was left with three areas of slight scarring.

The child’s legal team informed the Court that the soup should not have been brought to the table while it was at a temperature capable of causing serious burns and it should not have been put on the table in front of an infant. Although liability was not agreed on in the case, Judge Justice Kevin Cross approved the settlement for the case and mentioned that he was happy the child had made a commendable recovery from a significant injury.