Plaintiff Meghan Brown suffered a traumatic brain injury when the door of a commercial building shattered as she exited through it. She was awarded more than $35 million by a Manhattan, New York jury on March 28, 2024. The jury found Defendant 271 Madison Co. negligent and 100% liable for her injuries. They awarded her $1.75 million for past pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, $20 million for future pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, and $13.4 million for future medical needs.
Brown has suffered daily since the incident. She suffers from impaired cognitive ability, memory loss, sensitivity to light and noise, vertigo, and other symptoms due to the injury. She was formerly an analyst at JP Morgan. While leaving the building in Midtown Manhattan after a visit to her physical therapist, she was on her phone and pushing the door open with her shoulder as a man walking behind her placed his palm on the glass and pushed, causing the door to shatter. Security footage shows her stumbling back into the building lobby and collapsing after the door disintegrates.
Brown claimed that the defect existed prior to the accident and the Defendant was negligent in maintaining the door. This was the third time that one of the building’s glass doors had broken in a similar manner. The Defendant claimed that Brown was using the door improperly by not using the handle. However, testimony about how frequently the door was wiped clean of handprints countered that argument. A plaintiff’s expert in glass and ceramics engineering also testified that two people pushing on the glass door at the same time could not have caused it to break unless there was a defect in the glass.
For premises liability and slip and fall lawsuits, call or text Friedman & Ranzenhofer, PC personal injury lawyers at 716.333.5144 for a free consultation.