A New York man has been awarded $3.3 million in a court case after suffering severe head trauma as a teen. The now 22-year-old suffered a brain injury as a teenager while clearing trees for his neighbor’s construction company. Seven years later, a State Supreme Court jury has delivered a verdict in his favor.
At age 15, the then-teenager – who had never before used a chainsaw — was helping his neighbor, the owner of a construction company, by clearing some trees for $8 an hour under the table. Unfortunately, a tree snapped back, smashing the boy in the face and head. He had to be taken to the hospital, where it was determined he had suffered a skull fracture as well as a hematoma of the left cerebral lobe. He remained in the ICU for several days and had to undergo surgery.
The youth was afterwards unable to take part in his high school gym class or ever participate again in contact sports. He still has intracranial pressure to this day and suffers from pain and migraines, and the brain injury has most likely made it impossible for him to ever pursue his career goals of working as a mechanic. In addition, the injured young man has been diagnosed with a condition known as Pseudo Bulbar Affect, caused by the damage to his brain’s frontal lobe.
Because of this, the jury found that the neighbor and company owner was guilty of negligence as well as violating New York’s Child Labor Laws, including one that prohibits minors from engaging in logging work of any type or using dangerous equipment such as a chainsaw. The $3.3 million in damages is to cover pain and suffering, past lost wages, future lost income, and future pain and suffering as well as future necessary medical care. Any residents of New York who have suffered any type of traumatic brain injury will more than likely have years of medical costs and recovery ahead of them, and they might benefit from consulting a personal injury lawyer to explore their legal options.
Source: buffalonews.co, “Teen clearing trees suffers head injury, given $3.3 million“, Melinda Miller Publ, Dec. 15, 2016
