Boy awarded ‘grief money’ over sister’s death before he was born

A 23-month-old boy, who had not been conceived when his little sister was killed in a hit-and-run in Dublin’s Phoenix Park on 6 April 2015, has been awarded “grief money” for her death.

Marcel Siatka was born in May 2016, a year and 47 days after his sister Vanessa died in what a trial judge described as the worst case of dangerous driving he had ever heard of.

Barrister Conor Kearney, counsel for Marcel and Vanessa’s father, Lukasz Siatka, told Judge Terence O’Sullivan in the Circuit Civil Court that the Injuries Board had assessed damages of €42,777 to be divided between Vanessa’s surviving family and to include the cost of her funeral.

Mr Kearney said the Injuries Board had not considered compensation for Marcel in its assessment as he had not been born at the time of Vanessa’s death.

Read the fully story at RTE