HSPRD has obtained a settlement that will pay out more than $4.6 million for injuries sustained by a six-year-old Wisconsin child, Alex Hook, whose skull was struck by a piece of metal rebar as he played on a school playground during recess.
HSPRD filed a lawsuit on Alex’s behalf in Kenosha County, Wisconsin against two primary defendants: (a) the concrete company that had left the rebar in a grassy median near the playground, and (b) the landscaping company whose employee was operating a riding mower on the median during recess and who mowed over the rebar, launching it in the air towards Alex and the children.
Though both defendants initially denied liability, HSPRD secured the settlement by utilizing forensic analysis of the school’s surveillance video which established that the defendant’s mower propelled the rebar that caused the injury. HSPRD also obtained documents in discovery that connected the concrete company to the rebar that caused the injury.
Emergency surgery saved Alex’s life, but he then faced a long and complicated recovery, requiring additional surgeries. Alex made a miraculous recovery but he was left with a permanent scar on the top of his head.
“Though we are all grateful for the recovery Alex has made, he and his family have had to endure months of unnecessary pain, stress, and anxiety as a result of the defendants' negligent conduct,” said HSPRD attorney Mark Dym, who represented Alex and his parents. “Alex is a fighter, and we are proud to have fought hard alongside him and his parents Caryn and Kirbey to achieve this settlement, which will provide Alex with financial security throughout his adult life.”
HSPRD’s team included Mark Dym, Matthew Piers, Derek Dominguez, and Justin Tresnowski. Steve Botzau of the Habush firm was local counsel.
