Umbrella as Deadly Beach Weapon!

A relaxing day on the beach became a 15-pound umbrella to the head for a Lower East Side woman six years ago. And yesterday, NY State agreed to pay $200,000 in damages to Phyllis Caliano-Bahaj over the incident at Robert Moses State Park. The "profession style" umbrella turned into a "flying torpedo in the air, like a missile" during strong winds - one lifeguard said it was about 20 feet in the air before hitting Caliano-Bahaj. She needed 13 stitches for a cut on her forehead - and now has permanent nerve damage to her neck.

Caliano-Bahaj sued the state, but the state claimed the umbrella belonged to another beach visitor, not a lifeguard. However, a judge still found the state liable, because, as the Post explains, "the lifeguards should have ordered all umbrellas to be put away because of the windy conditions" - apparently the offending umbrella had been blown over once before that day - hence the settlement. Caliano-Bahaj and her lawyer Devon Reiff showed reporters a replica of the umbrella that hit her, and, boy, is that sucker big.

Photography from Tina Fineberg/AP

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By Jen Chung in News on May 18, 2006 9:23 AM

Comments [rss]

um

someone should shove that umbrella up her ass

cdjames

There should be a tax specifically designated to payment of ridiculous personal injury lawsuits so that the citizenry can quantify how much they're contributing to morons who sit around all day thinking "I wonder what I could get for _____".

The fact that the guy is carrying the umbrella down the courthouse stairs shows the sensationalizing going on here.

13 stitches? Suck it up. Lets move on.

Senor Brightside

Gotta pay for that LES rent somehow I guess...

hashashin

Is that umbrella really that big? Seems small for a beach umbrella to me. Of course I wouldn't want to be hit in the head with it, either.

Kojak

Oops. Forgot it belonged to a private citizen.

Oh well. After taxes and lawyers fees shes going to keep around 50k.

Big Whoop

ahhhh...

ahhh...america. the land of: "it's someone else fault" and "if you don't like the outcome, sue!"

why is the state responsible for securing a private citizen's property? is she not also negligent for remaining outdoors in a public space under poor weather conditions? she saw it was windy, why did she not go home?

Rocknrope

bfd, you obviously haven't been reading this site very long, or you'd know the answer to that.

I must be becoming desensitized to it, what do you see?

Kojak

The umbrella should have been secured. That’s the fault of the city. Gotta pay up

I’m amazed the mediocre court system didn’t reward her more money. They usually sue for millions in cases like these and win.

bfd

can't you run spellcheck, or have someone copy edit?

Ugh

It's unfortunate that people just don't realize: shit happens when you leave your apartment. And that does not mean you are entitled to money just because something bad happened to you. I can understand cases of true negligence, but come on! The lifeguards do not control the freaking wind. And it was not even their umbrella!

When I was a kid, I was playing soccer at school and another kid tripped me. I fell and broke my arm (compound fracture) requiring several surgeries, plates, and nerve damage as well. Should my parents have sued the state (public school) because some 10 year old kid was a little shit? Accidents happen. That's life.

Anyhow - she probably only sued the state because the state has deep pockets and the other person must've been broke. I love how in the picture she is holding her lawyer's arm to steady herself, as if she really has trouble walking.

Thanks for making my taxes go up, lady!