Ex-Limerick hurler is 'totally different man' after workplace accident, wife tells court

A former Limerick senior hurler who is seeking damages after a workplace accident at a Johnson & Johnson factory left him unable to work is "a totally different man" according to his wife and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the High Court has heard.

Mark Keane's wife, Karen, on Wednesday told the court that her husband was a "totally different man from who he had been" before the incident.

The personal injury hearing is now in its fourth day after mediation talks proved fruitless.

Mr Keane has told the court that he was "not the man he was, nor the one he hoped to become" because of the injuries, felt "let down" and "mentally destroyed”.

An accomplished hurler, Mr Keane won three consecutive All-Irelands with Limerick under-21s between 2000 and 2002 and played senior from 2000 to 2006.

Mr Keane has taken his case against Johnson & Johnson Vision care (Ireland) over the incident that occurred in September 2018 at their plant in the National Technological Park, Plassey, Co Limerick.

The 43-year-old is alleging Johnson & Johnson were negligent and breached their duty of care towards him on September 10th, 2018, while he was working as a technician making contact lenses. Mr Keane alleges the company failed to provide him with a safe place of work and a safe system of work and is seeking damages.

Mr Keane's lawyers, HOMS Assist, submit that this incident caused the plaintiff to suffer sustained, continuous and severe personal injury, as well as loss, damage, inconvenience and expense.

Murray Johnson SC, for Johnson & Johnson, has said the company "absolutely" accepted responsibility for the injury Mr Keane suffered in the form of the nerve damage and injury to his right hand but did not accept