GTTC Recovers Largest mTBI-only Injury Settlement in Washington State History

GTTC partner Mark Wilner and associate Guin Becker Bogusz obtained a $1,000,000 settlement in a case in which the sole injury was a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The firm’s research indicates that this is the largest sum ever recovered in an mTBI-only injury case in Washington.

GTTC’s client was injured when a wooden chair collapsed from under him while he and his family were eating at a popular Seattle restaurant. He fell backward, and the back of his head struck the concrete floor. He did not lose consciousness but began to suffer concussion symptoms later that evening. His symptoms got worse and left him unable to effectively work or help care for his family for months. Although he improved, his personal and professional life suffered an 18-month setback.

GTTC filed suit against the restaurant, the commercial designer who selected the chair for use at the restaurant, and the corporate manufacturer of the chair (Restoration Hardware). With the aid of a nationally renowned forensic wood materials engineering expert, GTTC’s investigation and discovery revealed that the collapse of the chair was the result of a manufacturing defect and quality assurance failure, specifically a screw having been drilled into a knot in wood inappropriately used for the chair leg to begin with. Discovery also revealed that our client’s injury was not the only injury at this restaurant due to collapsing chairs, all of which were selected by the same designer and made by the same manufacturer.