Man injured after hotel lift fall settles High Court action

A man who suffered injuries when a hotel lift carrying him and others plummeted three floors to the ground has settled his High Court action on undisclosed terms.

Paul Meehan, a Garda, helped other members of his extended family who were seriously injured when the lift at the Killarney Plaza Hotel crashed into the basement car park.

He helped pull the doors of the lift open after it buckled on impact as those inside shouted for help.

On Tuesday, Richard Kean SC, with Barney Quirke SC, for Mr Meehan, told Mr Justice Michael Hanna the case was the last of a number before the courts in relation to the lift fall and it had been resolved.

Mr Justice Hanna congratulated the parties on reaching a settlement.

After he had helped with other members of his family, Mr Meehan was put in a neck brace and taken to hospital. It was later discovered he had suffered injuries to his lower back and knees.

It was claimed he later suffered extreme pain in his knees when he tried to return to sports or running and, after any such exertion, he would be unable to walk for a few days.

Post traumatic stress

He claimed he also suffered daily back pain, had flashbacks of the accident and was diagnosed as suffering from post traumatic stress.

With an address in Lucan, Co Dublin, Mr Meehan sued the hotel owners, Shawcove Ltd, with registered offices at Castleisland, Co Kerry; two companies involved in installing and maintaining lifts, Ellickson Engineering Ltd, in receivership, of Kilmurry, Waterford and Kilell Ltd, of the same address; Otis Ltd and Otis Elevator Ireland Ltd, both of Naas Road, Business Park, Dublin; and a lift components manufacturer, Daldoss Elevetronic Spa, of Valsugana, Italy.

It was claimed there were failures to ensure the intended pathway from the car park was safe and free from hazard and to install a proper functioning lift from the car park to the hotel.

Paul Meehan was among five people from the same extended family who sued over the accident which happened as they tried to return to their rooms in the Killarney Plaza Hotel after a wedding ceremony elsewhere on July 9th, 2011.

Mr Meehan’s brother Kevin Meehan from Celbridge, Co Kildare who suffered multiple severe injuries in the lift accident was last week awarded €508,000 by the court.

His wife Jennie Wong settled her action on undisclosed terms as did Andrew Meehan and his wife Patricia O’Leary, from Co Meath.

Liability was conceded in the case in 2019 and the cases were before the court for assessment of damages only.

Ellickson Engineering Ltd, now in receivership, was fined €750,000 after it was found guilty at Tralee Circuit Criminal Court in 2017 of a single breach of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act over the installation of the hotel lift in and around April 2004.