A woman from Dumont, N.J., will receive a $3.7 million settlement after she suffered a brain injury when she fell off a yacht at Edgewater Marina in Edgewater, N.J., in 2014. The marina is managed by the borough of Edgewater.
Jennifer Brashears, 48, sued the marina, the borough and the boat owner, Dean Borghi, after she fell from an unsecured ladder and hit her head, resulting in brain bleeding that required emergency surgery and permanent damage, according to northjersey.com.
Court documents reportedly show that $2,436,827 was placed in a special-needs trust for Brashears on January 22 after legal fees and expenses were paid. The borough paid $3 million and Borghi paid $700,000.
Brashears was hired to clean the interior of the 54-foot yacht, All About the Monet, before the boat was hauled from the Hudson River for repairs.
The boat was lifted out of the water while Borghi and Brashears were still on board, which is normally not allowed at most marinas. According to court documents, the mechanical lift that hauled the boat had labels that warned against people being on board during the process.
When Brashears attempted to leave the boat via the ladder, she fell and hit her head on the paved parking lot. She had the emergency surgery and reportedly had a portion of her skull removed during the procedure.
Brashears was not able to return to work and medical bills were in excess of $500,000. Her lawsuit named Edgewater Marina, the borough of Edgewater and Borghi on charges of neglect.
