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Jennifer Brashears, 48, was exiting a 50-foot yacht that had been lifted from the water by a hoist at the Edgewater Marina in July 2014 when she fell 10 feet from a platform, hitting her head, according to court papers.
Brashears suffered a bleed in her brain and needed surgery that included removing a third of her skull to prevent fatal swelling and another operation to address an infection, the New Jersey Law Journal reported.
This left her with a disabling brain injury that kept her from returning to work or living independently, the report says.
Brashears sued the marina, the borough and boat owner Dean Borghi, arguing that an improperly trained operator ignored posted warnings – and OSHA regulations -- that a boat must never be lifted with someone aboard.
The defendants countered that Brashears was drunk at the time, the NJ Law Journal report says.
Superior Court Judge Robert Polifroni on Jan. 22 approved a settlement, mediated by retired judge Peter Doyne of Ferro, Labella & Weiss in Hackensack, through which the borough pays $3 million and Borghi $700,000, it says.
Samuel Davis of Davis, Saperstein & Salomon in Teaneck represented Brashears. Harry Norton of Norton, Murphy, Sheehy & Corrubia in Woodland Park represented the marina and the borough. Thomas Mueller of Lucas & Cavalier in Philadelphia represented Borghi.
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