CHRIS-CRAFT CRUISER DESIGN LEAVES MAN UNPROTECTED IN FALL AND RENDERED PARAPLEGIC

 

James White vs. Chris-Craft Corporation, Murray Chris Craft Cruisers, Blue Lagoon of Pompano 

15th Circuit, Palm Beach County, Florida

 

After a day of fishing, Jim White, his family and friends returned to the dock in Broward County, Florida aboard their Chris Craft pleasure cruiser. The boat was unloaded and Jim grabbed this brush to wash the boat down before heading home. While cleaning an area on the fly bridge that had no protective railing around it, Jim slipped on the soapy, wet fiberglass, fell to the lower deck and broke his back. He was instantly rendered a paraplegic. Chris-Craft knew that the unprotected area would have to be accessed for cleaning yet they neither provided a non-skid surface nor a protective railing. During the course of pre-trial discovery Chris-Craft voluntarily settled the case for $2,370,000.