A former NBC war reporter has been awarded €17,500 in damages against Irish Ferries for what the court described as “a hideous and harrowing experience” while travelling from Cherbourg to Dublin, reports RTE.
Susan Burt, aged 75, told the Circuit Civil Court she feared for her life when the Irish Ferries ship MV Epsilon was battered by Storm Imogen almost a decade ago, tipping once to a 33-degree angle, reports RTE.
The court heard the storm was so severe that the Epsilon could neither dock safely nor drop anchor, forcing it to sail back and forth for 18 hours in whatever coastal cover it could find until the weather improved.
“The vessel lurched so violently that people were screaming,” Ms Burt told Judge Christopher Callan, who reserved his decision until today, reports RTE.
“Things were flying through the air, dishes were smashing and furniture sliding up and down decks and cabin floors and when the ship would roll we had to crawl,” reports RTE.
Three children and four other adults, including Ms Burt’s partner Chris Sawyer, had previously accepted settlements ranging from €14,500 for the children to €23,000 for Mr Sawyer’s claim, reports RTE.
He had suffered physical injuries during the storm.
Ms Burt told her barrister John Wilde Crosbie, who was with Evan O’Dwyer of O’Dwyer Solicitors in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, that she felt she had been through a terrifying ordeal. She said the vessel was struck by huge waves that tipped it so far over that passengers feared it would flip over completely, reports RTE.
The Epsilon finally docked a day late on 9 February 2016. Ms Burt and her partner had been on their way to visit friends in Co Mayo, reports RTE.
Judge Callan said that although psychiatric evaluations showed Ms Burt did not meet the criteria for PTSD, she had still endured prolonged and severe shock, which she should never have had to experience.
“I thought I was going to die. I felt ‘this is it’,” she said. “We were being thrown about and our car was absolutely squashed as vehicles criss-crossed the car deck,” reports RTE.
When Irish Ferries’ barrister Roisin Haughey questioned whether Ms Burt should receive full legal costs given her lower damages award compared to her €60,000 claim, Judge Callan ruled she was entitled to full Circuit Court costs.
“In fairness to the plaintiff these unusual proceedings have been going on for quite a long time and the court was impressed with her evidence,” Judge Callan said. “She did not in any way exaggerate what had happened to her,” reports RTE.
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