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Man Injured By Tree Limb Files Suit Against City
By
Ben Muessig
Published Dec 5, 2009
Modified Dec 5, 2009
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By
Ben Muessig
Published Dec 5, 2009
Modified Dec 5, 2009
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The 33-year-old who suffered brain and spinal injuries this summer when he was struck by a falling tree limb in Central Park is suing the city and the Central Park Conservancy for negligence.
Sasha Blair-Goldensohn remains hospitalized after a tree branch plummeted 36 or 37 feet and struck him as he walked alone near West Drive and West 63rd Street in July, leaving him with a gash in the skull, damage to his upper vertebrae and a partial lung collapse. According to his attorney Nicholas Papain — who filed the suit in State Supreme Court on Monday — the incident was preventable.
“An examination of the tree limb, after this terrible incident, revealed that it was dead and rotted and in real danger of breaking and falling for a long period of time prior to the incident,” he said. “The limb’s condition should have been readily apparent to the city and the Central Park Conservancy, who were responsible for the maintenance of the park.” In the past, a spokesman for the city's Parks Department has said that the agency checks on trees, but noted that "[i]t's an impossible task to know the status of every single tree."
Tagged
branch
central park
central park conservancy
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limb
Nicholas Papain
Sasha Blair-Goldensohn
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Ben Muessig
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