Case involving boy who lost tip of finger as door closed in school settled

A schoolboy who lost the tip of one of his fingers when it got caught in a bathroom door at his school two years ago has settled his High Court action for €40,000.

Conor Bissett, who was five years old at the time of the incident, suffered the amputation of the tip of his right little finger. The High Court heard the little boy had to have two surgeries and his little finger is permanently short.

Now age seven years , Conor Bissett, of Cnoc na Greine, Granard, Co Longford, had through his mother, Tanya Bissett, sued St Colmcille’s National School, Augnacliffe, Co Longford as a result of the accident on May 22nd, 2019.

In an affidavit to the court, Ms Bissett said her son suffered a complete amputation at the tip of the little finger. The amputated part was placed in milk and transferred with him to hospital, she said.

On arrival at the Dublin hospital, the finger was noted to be very macerated, and a grafting of the tip could not take place. The boy was taken to theatre and the wound was thoroughly cleaned.

Conor was discharged home, but he had to return to the dressing clinic several times afterwards. Ms Bissett said the finger had completely healed and he had full range of motion in the finger, but there was a problem with nail growth.

She said her son now has a two-centimetre scar and, while he has a full range of motion of the finger, she said doctors believe his right little finger is permanently short.

Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said it was a very good one in all the circumstances of the case. The judge said the accident happened as the boy attended school and his hand got caught in the bathroom door.

At issue in the case was whether the bathroom door was too heavy and closed too quickly. The judge noted the boy had full functionality of the finger.