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$5.5M settlement for NYC woman after Central Park tree severely injures her and her children
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Aug 16, 2023
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Scott Heins/Gothamist
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Aug 16, 2023
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A mother of three who was critically injured when a massive tree fell on her in Central Park six years ago has reached a $5.5 million settlement with the city and companies that cared for the tree, according to court documents.
Anne Monoky was walking through the park with her three young sons on Aug. 15, 2017 when a 75-foot-tall tree suddenly fell on them near Central Park West and West 62nd Street, leaving her "completely immobilized," according to her attorneys at the time. The initial complaint said Monoky suffered a traumatic brain injury, concussion and multiple spinal fractures that left her with a lifelong threat of paralysis.
Monoky had said in court documents that she had difficulty breastfeeding as a result of her injuries. The kids, who were a month old, 2 and 4 at the time, also suffered multiple injuries, with the 2 year old sustaining a brain hemorrhage and a concussion.
In early 2018, Monoky filed a $200 million lawsuit against the city, the Central Park Conservancy and the companies contracted to maintain the trees. The suit claimed that the tree had been neglected for years and “had clear and obvious signs that it was decayed and could collapse at any moment.”
The defendants, the lawsuit claimed, had contributed to the tree’s condition by overwatering, reducing its root space and “battering it with snowplows.”
As part of the settlement — which was reached last month but hasn't been previously reported — the city and Central Park Conservancy will have to shell out $3.1 million, including $1.4 million to Monoky for her injuries, and more than $1 million to the family’s attorneys. One of the companies hired to take care of the trees, F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company, will be on the hook for $2.4 million as part of the settlement, records show.
When asked for comment, the Central Park Conservancy pointed Gothamist to the city parks department. Neither the parks department nor F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company immediately responded.
City Hall spokesperson Jonah Allon said the settlement was the best course of action for all involved.
“This was a deeply tragic incident, and our hearts go out to Ms. Monoky and her family for the trauma they suffered,” Allon said in an emailed statement. “This settlement was in the best interest of all parties.”
The city has settled several lawsuits to people either killed or injured by falling trees and branches in Central Park. In 2020, a couple whose infant was killed by a falling branch in the park won a $13.75 million settlement, the New York Post reported. Seven years earlier, the city paid $11.5 million to a Google engineer severely injured by a falling tree limb in the park, the Post reported.
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Catalina Gonella
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