A boy who lost his leg and part of his pelvis after a tree fell on his tent during a camping trip at a public park will receive $47.5 million from a California municipality and utility in a lawsuit settlement, reports NBC news in Los Angeles.
Twelve-year-old Zachary Rowe was camping with his family in San Mateo County Memorial Park in 2012, when a rotten 72-foot-tall tanoak tree fell and crushed his tent while he slept. To save his life, doctors amputated his right leg, buttock, and pelvis requiring 30 surgeries and six months in a hospital.
The boy sued San Mateo County, alleging a dangerous condition of public property and negligence by Davey Tree, which the county had hired in 2007 to inspect its campsites for hazardous trees. He also sued PG&E and its vegetation-management contractor, WECI, for negligence in failing to maintain the area around its power lines.
The cases established groundbreaking decisions protecting recreational users, said attorney Tim Tietjen. “This hard-fought victory on behalf of our client will help improve safety throughout California’s campgrounds and public spaces,” Tietjen said in a statement.
Now in campgrounds they will cut down any trees big enough to cast any useful shade.
Just shows you 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
I dealt extensively with lawyers in my career. I never met more than three in total, that were honest. The rest were outright liars, even in the courtroom. I loved giving them the business, and making them look like the fool’s they were, for lack of preparation.
Ever wonder why their undergrad degrees are in worthless areas like political science, history, etc. Almost never in the sciences and math, made for easy pickings.
They just manipulate all areas of our lives, bankruptcy, real estate, wills, medical, etc. Nothing but leaches on the system.
Wonder why their is so much humor in comedic jokes on lawyers, they earned it, that’s why.
Now watch camping fees shoot through the roof to pay for this settlement and for the new insurance policy that will be needed.
Way too many lawyers in this country, sitting around WAITING for something to sue over. I totally agree with Bob Godfrey! I wonder how much time the family spent looking at the nearby trees when they set up camp.
So, the lawyer takes 15.8 million, plus expenses for I don’t care how many hours he could have spent. I feel so sorry for that little boy and his life changing circumstances.
But, no lawyer should steal that much money from his client. The pain and suffering he has an will endure throughout his life should have that lawyer turn back at least half of that to poor little boy, he will surely need it.
While I find that it is very sad to hear that this young man was injured so badly I’m once again amazed at our litigious society. Where does this end? Will all forests and parks eventually be closed due to the possibility of future lawsuits? Trees rot and fall down every day everywhere they exist in the world. Shall we have them all “inspected” before we allow anyone into the area?