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Almost five years after a firehouse brawl left Staten Island firefighter Robert Walsh "a virtual invalid with almost no short-term memory," a judge has ordered the city to pay out $3.75 million, the Post reports. You may recall that the New Year's Eve fight was triggered by a bet between Walsh and Michael Silvestri, another firefighter, over Elvis Presley's birth date. After besting Walsh, Silvestri started up with the anti-gay slurs, which Walsh insisted was a typical part of life at the firehouse. The exchange culminated with Silvestri bashing Walsh in the head from behind with a metal chair; he suffered eye, jaw and skull fractures, and severe back injuries, thus ending his career at the FDNY. Silvestri's career also ended that night, and he did an eight month bit on Rikers. According to the Staten Island Advance, the settlement is far less than the $100 million sought by Walsh, who needs a cane to walk and suffers from post-traumatic migraine headaches.
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Wow... That was the city's fault, huh?
All of this pain and suffering over Elvis' birthday? What a bunch of morons.
how much of the time did Silvestri serve, or is he still in prison?
fucking gay firefighters
this is sick... I mean the passing the blame to the deepest pocketed entity possible. What the hell had the city to do with this? it makes me nauseous...
The people held at Rikers are generally there because they didn't make bail, have been sentenced to a year or less, or are waiting to be sent to an upstate prison, so I doubt that Silvestri spent 8 years there.
Thanks Colleen, that should have read 8 months.
I think you mean bid instead of bit, otherwise it doesn't make sense.
Why the city had to pay 3.5 mil to this guy, I have no idea.
I just don't get how the city can be considered liable for this. The guy does jail time, the city should cover medical costs and disability pay. With full sympathy for the injured, I find it despicable when people see fit to take millions from taxpayers for an accident like they just won the lottery.
@ CubanB: I mean bit.
If I'm not mistaken, weren't both drinking alcohol on duty which precipitated these actions? How would this by New York City's fault? Everything goin' in the world today and taxpayers are on the hook to pay for some jackasses. Nice.
People will use any idiotic reason to steal our tax dollars. Walsh and others like him are despicable. Take responsibility for your own actions - gay, straight, or not!
This just shows that if you live in Staten Island and you don't know Elvis' birthday, that you are some kind of fag. Or a complete idiot. Or both.
how the hell is it the city's fault. this is why we had to pay so much taxes. what a joke
NannyState: This has nothing to do with living on Staten Island, but thanks for being yet another asshole to insult Staten Island. Dick.
"Take responsibility for your own actions - gay, straight, or not!"
Walsh gets a metal chair smashed over his skull and he's supposed to take responsibility for his own actions? So he's supposed to be responsible for his own skull fractures? Seriously? Do you own a brain or rent one?