I’m Romney Cullers, a partner at The Becker Law Firm. I’d like to introduce a very important client of mine, Gasia Thomas, and tell you a little about the work we did on her behalf that, after nearly four years of work, ended with Gasia receiving the largest individual personal injury settlement in Ohio’s history, $60 million.
Her name is Gasia Thomas. She’s in the lower right-hand corner of the photo below, along with her mom and little sister.
When I first met Gasia’s mother, she was dealing with two nearly impossible challenges:
First, she was trying to help her family heal after a horrifying tragedy.
On November 1, 2012, her 12-year old daughter, Gasia, suffered a profound brain injury and partial amputation from contact with a downed power line in her neighborhood, and it was determined that she would need round-the-clock medical care for the rest of her life. Gasia’s 10-year old sister had minor physical injuries of her own and was trying to cope with the absolute horror of witnessing her big sister combust as a result of contact with the power line.
If that wasn’t enough already, Gasia’s mom was in the middle of preparing to take on the political and economic forces of the power company that owned the fallen electrical line and that had chosen to repeatedly ignore warnings of the threat that the downed line posed.
The Becker Law Firm was glad to take Gasia’s case and I was honored to act as the lead attorney.
Superstorm Sandy
In late October 2012, Superstorm Sandy – the largest Atlantic hurricane on record and the second-costliest hurricane in U.S. history – cut across 24 states, resulting in the deaths of 233 people. It made landfall in Brigantine, New Jersey on October 29, 2012 with 80 mph winds and made its way to Northeast Ohio – four hundred miles away – with winds reaching 68 mph.
Hundreds of schools were closed, and a quarter of a million people were left without power.
Gasia’s Injury
By November 1, 2012, Sandy was dissipating and people were assessing the damage and beginning to make repairs. The weather had let up, and Gasia and her sister were walking near their home in Cleveland, Ohio to board the local church’s bus.
That’s when Gasia touched an energized wire that was hanging above the sidewalk near E. 129th and Iroquois Avenue. The call Gasia’s mom made to 911 was frantic, as was the call made by a neighbor.
Their reactions were understandable: Gasia’s injuries were catastrophic.
Because of the high voltage it was carrying, the power line stuck to Gasia’s body when she came into contact with it. Her heart stopped beating, and as the current flowed out of the wire, through her body, and into the ground, it burned the tissue along its path, leaving extensive damage both on and below the surface of her skin.
On that day, Gasia suffered a traumatic brain injury and would require multiple surgeries, including the partial amputation of her hand.
Who Should Have Prevented Gasia’s Injuries?
After a tragedy, people often ask themselves, “Could this have been prevented?” In a case like Gasia’s, though, a better question to ask is, “Should this have been prevented?”
If so, who was responsible for preventing it, and what went wrong?
Cases like Gasia’s are brought to court specifically to sort through issues of responsibility when someone suffers a catastrophic and life-altering injury.
As a plaintiff’s attorney on a power line contact case, my job is to prove that the power company had a duty to my client that it violated. I must demonstrate exactly whose negligence led to my client being hurt.
Compensation for a Preventable Tragedy
We built Gasia’s case, layer after layer, piece by piece, but we always made sure that the impact that this tragedy had on Gasia, her sister and her mom stayed in the forefront. We never let anyone forget the human costs their family paid because of this preventable tragedy.
It was the combination of tenacity, focus, and skill that gave us the opportunity to win Gasia’s case with the largest personal injury settlement for an individual victim in the history of Ohio.
WOIO Channel 19/43, Cleveland’s CBS Television affiliate, interviewed one of Gasia’s physicians and broadcast the summary. We have opted only to include the audio portion of the interview because the video images are graphic and potentially disturbing.
