12-year-old girl wins $256,000 lawsuit against her mother

Faith Varden-Carberry

A 12-year-old girl who sued her mother, won $256,000 - according to court proceedings.

Faith Varden-Carberry, who sued her parents and the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland, has been awarded $256,000 following the car accident that killed her younger sister Ava and friend Michaela Logan, in 2007.

The settlement agreement was reached in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. Varden-Carberry, originally from Longford, sued her parents and MIBI through her grandfather Anthony Carberry.

In 2007, Mary Carberry, an alcoholic, blacked out drunk while driving with three children in her car. The younger sister, Ava, who was 6 years old at the time, and her friend Michaela Logan, died after the car went off the road and crashed into a muddy embankment outside Edgeworthstown, Co Longford.

Faith, wearing a seatbelt in the back seat, suffered severe physical and emotional trauma. She was confined to a spinal cast for two months, and went through months of therapy to help her cope with the tragedy.

Mary Carberry had been excluded from driving at the time of the accident, resulting from a previous conviction. However, with two young daughters, she needed a way to get to and from school. Carberry had her daughters ask their father Thomas Varden, whom Mary had little or no relation to, for help. 

Varden agreed to buy a car for the family on the condition that Mary did not drive it. However, Mary Carberry did not adhere to the condition, and ultimately caused the death of the two young children.

While young Faith had brought charges against her father as well, they were later dropped, leaving only her mother and MIBI responsible. Mary Carberry was sentenced to six years in prison with two years suspended, and MIBI was found by the court on Wednesday that they were responsible for a payment of $256,000 to Faith.