A fireman who fell from a ladder after being ordered by a superior to climb it, has settled a High Court personal injury claim before the jury had the opportunity to award a sum.

Vincent McGuinness, a fireman from Dundalk, County Louth fell five-meters when his ladder collapsed while fighting a fire at a derelict house at Culhane Street, Dundalk in February 2004. He suffered a vertebra injury and was unable to work for five months. It was argued that the hydraulic ladder on the fire truck should have been used instead, the council denied liability for the accident but the High Court was later informed that the claim had been settled.