Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Wheelchair Company
The family of a South End quadriplegic who died in 2007 after his wheelchair malfunctioned during a routine repair session at his home is suing the repair company for $10 million.
The father of Jeffrey Thompson, 29, is holding a press conference today to discuss the wrongful death suit against Franklin, Tenn.-based National Seating & Mobility.
“It’s incomprehensible,” said attorney Jon Friedmann, who represents Thompson’s parents, Charles and Susan. “They want the servicing companies like National Seating & Mobility to better train their personnel so nobody else ends up like Jeffrey.”
The suit stems from a Dec. 10, 2007 wheelchair repair session at Thompson’s home. Two technicians working on Thompson’s wheelchair did not remove him from his chair or disconnect the battery while doing the repairs, the suit says.
At some point, “the wheelchair abruptly ‘jumped’ while the repairmen were working on its electrical wiring, causing Jeffrey to become stuck under the table he was sitting at,” the suit said.
Thompson injured his legs and began to experience “uncontrollable seizures,” according to the suit and Friedmann. The technicians called Thompson’s personal care assistant, who instructed them to call 911, Friedmann said.
Thompson was hospitalized and died the next day from his injuries, the suit says.
“One would think you would just take him out of the wheelchair or disconnect the battery,” Friedmann said. “That’s what so egregious about this.”
The company’s attorney, Donald T. Giglio, referred questions about the suit to spokesman Bill Noelting, who declined comment. Friedmann said Thompson’s family tried unsuccessully to settle with the company for about a year. Court records show the suit was filed on Monday in Suffolk Superior Court.
Thompson was rendered a quadriplegic at age 17 when a car he was riding in crashed at a rotary, Friedmann said. As an adult, he established himself as an outspoken advocate on handicapped accessibility issues, Friedmann said. He was also a volunteer at the Boston Center for Independent Living, where he spoke out about accessibility issues at the MBTA. In 2006, the T infused $300 million into upgrades to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by the BCIL over accessibilty issues.
Friedmann said any settlement money would go to the JPT Foundation, a non-profit set up in Thompson’s honor to address handicap-access issues and help people with disabilities.
Find a Wrongful Death Attorney.
Maureen McKinnon-Tucker March 18th, 2010 at 9:35 am
Good Morning,
It is wonderful for the family of this young quad to be serving his community in this way with the JPT Foundation. As someone with a Spinal Cord Injury myself, thank you. There are many who will need their assitance.
Over the next few months, as you consider which non-profits in the Spinal Cord Community you are interested in serving, we would be honored to have you learn about what we do here at Piers Park Sailing Center, in East Boston.
We have just recently added a “Sip & Puff” system to our Adaptive Sailing Program - a way for quads with no lung function to steer the boat. We have recently received the “Best Disabled Sailing Program in the Country” by US Sailing. Also, we employ many of our staff with disabilities to be instructors - we are a program “for the disabled by the disabled”.
I would like to personally invite you to tour our fully ADA compliant facility and to join us on a short tour of Piers Park Sailing Center in East Boston, where we are “Sailing For Everyone” and by everyone we mean everyone.
Thank you,
Maureen McKinnon-Tucker
Paralympic Gold Medalist, Sailing, Beijing China, 2008
http://www.piersparksailing.org
maureen@piersparksailing.org