A settlement has been reached in the legal case where 12-year-old Longford girl Faith Varden Carberry attempted to bring up both of her parents and the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland for damages in the High Court. Now, only the Insurance Bureau will be brought up for charges.

RTE reports on the developments in the case stemming from a 2007 accident where Faith’s mother crashed her car while heavily intoxicated, severely injuring Faith and killing Faith’s sister Ava and her friend Michaela Logan.

Faith sustained major injuries and was forced to wear a spinal cast for 10 weeks, as well as attend three months of psychological therapy. Faith’s mother Mary Carberry was sentenced to six years in prison with two suspended for her crimes.

On Wednesday, however, at the High Court, Senior Counsel Liam Reidy told Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill the issue of liability between the MIBI and Faith's father Thomas Varden, the owner of the car, had been settled after several hours of settlement talks.

Justice O’Neill went on to say that the main case of assessing damages could be adjourned for three weeks. He added that he was glad to see the parties could reach a settlement in such a difficult case.

Thomas Varden, Faith and Ava’s father, had little to no relationship with the girls’ mother Mary Carberry prior to and at the time of the accident. He did, however, keep in contact with the young girls and provide them accommodations.

Mary Carberry’s license had been suspended at the time of the accident from a separate incident. Since she couldn’t drive, the daughters were forced to walk a mile and a half each way to school everyday.

Carberry had her daughters call their father Thomas Varden, who agreed to buy a car, but insisted that Mary not drive it, knowing that she was suspended from driving. Mary allegedly agreed, and got the car Varden purchased from them insured, on the understanding that she could not drive it. Carberry signed Varden’s name to the check for the insurance.

Carberry, however, got “black-out” drunk one day in November 2007, and with her children and two other children in the car, ploughed into a muddy embankment on a disused road in Longford. Two of the passengers, one being Mary’s daughter, were killed, and her daughter Faith endured serious injury.

Varden told the court that he did not deny he was the owner of the car, but claimed the car was being driven by Mary without his authority.

Faith Varden Carberry had brought the matter to the High Court through her grandfather, Anthony Carberry.