Lawsuit settled after toddler suffers brain injury in fall

Brain injuries can be some of the toughest injuries to overcome. In many cases, those who have suffered severe injuries to the head do not ever make a full recovery. A young Pennsylvanian girl is allegedly permanently disabled after falling out of a relative’s row house window. Her mother filed a lawsuit against the owners of the row house and those involved with the renovation project.

In 2012, the then 3-year-old girl was watching TV and playing with other children while visiting relatives. She came in contact with a window screen, and she fell out of the window. As a result of falling nearly 30-feet onto concrete, the girl suffered a traumatic brain injury with numerous skull fractures. The lawsuit states that these severe injuries left the now 7-year-old with neurological impairment affecting her cognitive abilities, sight, speech and movements.

In August 2012, the girl’s mother filed a lawsuit on her daughter’s behalf against multiple businesses, including Arch VI-Temple N. Gratz Street, L.P., and 1260 Housing Development, Corp. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants were involved in a project to renovate the house.

The defendants contracted with multiple companies to renovate the house. These companies were also named in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants were responsible for installing a window and screen in the third-floor bedroom window without any window guards or devices to stop children from falling. The defendants allegedly knew that children would be in the house, and the bed would have to be placed near the window because of the room design.

The parties reached a $5.5 million settlement, which should help the girl’s family pay for medical expenses and other costs. Nonetheless, no amount of money will ever be enough to erase the pain and suffering of the girl and her family.

Source: The Inquirer, “Suit settled for reported $5.5M in toddler’s fall from window,” Julie Shaw, April 8, 2016