Fingertips Severed
A 4th grade student at PS 06, a NYC public elementary school in Brooklyn, was injured when her teacher slammed a door on the youngster's hand. The incident took place after the teacher sent the 10 year old girl into the hallway unsupervised as punishment for acting up in class. As the teacher was reentering the classroom, she turned her back and shut the door without realizing the little girl's hand was in the doorway. We alleged that the teacher was negligent in allowing a 10 year old to be unsupervised and in shutting a door without looking while a child was so near. As a result of the incident, the girl's middle, ring and pinky fingers were partially severed at the tips and had to be surgically reattached.
After the reattachment surgery, the 10 year old completed a course of physical and occupational therapy and eventually returned to school. At the time of trial, the then 15 year old girl still had limitations with her hand, including decreased strength and range of motion. She also had permanent scarring, darkened nails and finger deformities.
During the six years of litigation, the City of New York and the Department of Education refused to offer to settle the child's case. After three days of picking a jury and before the trial got underway, WRSMH Of Counsel, Brielle C. Goldfaden was able to negotiate a settlement for our young client in the amount of $250,000 to compensate her for past and future pain and suffering.