An action by a US woman who lost parts of all of the fingers of her right hand following an accident while she was tying up a hired cruiser on the Shannon has been settled at the High Court.
Ms Judith Simpson (55), from New York but now living in Virginia, took the action against Emerald Star Line, with offices at Ballsbridge, Dublin, following the accident on May 27th, 1994. Her ring finger was reattached in a Galway hospital afterwards but had to be amputated when she returned to the US. She also lost parts of all of her righthand fingers.
Emerald Star Line submitted that Ms Simpson's injuries were caused by her own negligence or she was guilty of contributory negligence by failing to follow safety instructions and wrapping the mooring rope around one of her fingers.