Brothers awarded €30,000 each over sister’s farm death

Two brothers whose eight-year-old sister died after a tractor bucket hit her on a farm in Co Cork have secured €30,000 each under a settlement of their High Court actions in relation to the incident.

The accident happened when the girl, Paula Dinsberga, was playing with a friend at the farm outside Charleville where she was staying while her parents attended a wedding in their native Latvia.

It occurred at 6.30pm on September 28th, 2014, after Paula and her friend ran in front of a tractor.

The driver braked and the bucket fell off, killing Paula instantly and injuring her 11-year-old friend.

Paula’s parents, Linda and Raivo Dinsberga, were informed of the incident when they flew in from Latvia later that evening.

In the High Court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Kevin Cross said that what happened was devastating for the family.

He approved settlements of €30,000 each in the cases of Paula’s twin brothers, who were on the farm at the time of the incident and witnessed its aftermath.

The boys, then aged five, suffered an abnormal grief reaction and nervous shock following the incident, the court heard.

Rainers and Patriks Dinsberga, now aged eight, of The Orchard, Hansfield, Dooradoyle, Limerick, sued, through their mother, the tractor owner, Liam Guiney, of Rusheen, Newtownshandrum, Co Cork, and the tractor driver, Edgars Pliesmanis, of Owenmore Drive, Raheen, Co Limerick, as a result of the accident.

Paula’s 11-year-old friend was Mr Pliesmanis’s daughter.

It was claimed there was failure to ensure the children were corralled in a safe section of the farm, failure to warn them of the need to avoid the tractor and failure to ensure the bucket was properly attached before permitting the tractor be driven.

The claims had been denied.

‘Tragic case’

On Tuesday, John Lucey SC, for the Dinsberga family, said this was a “very tragic” case.

He said Paula's parents had originally moved to Ireland to access care for one of their sons, who has special needs.

The twins have ongoing problems and issues around the death of their sister and ask about her, he said.

Mr Lucey said the Dinsberga parents were satisfied with the settlement.

He added that two actions by the parents for nervous shock could be struck out.