GA Prisoner Injured While Working on Warden’s House Awarded $105,000
GA Prisoner Injured While Working on Warden’s House Awarded $105,000
A Georgia jury awarded $105,000 to a prisoner in a premises liability suit. The award followed four hours of deliberation into the liability for the serious injuries incurred by prisoner David Lee Couch, 52.
Couch was assigned to a work detail doing repairs on a warden’s house. He was there to paint, and as he walked through the kitchen to get supplies from the garage, fell through the rotted floor. He landed in a straddle over a floor joust, which severed his urethra.
The 2005 injury required two surgeries: The first to repair his urethra; the second to remove scar tissue. At the 2009 trial, Couch still had a catheter in place.
The liability for Couch’s injuries was contested at trial. Couch contended he was not warned of the dangerous conditions; prison officials asserted they warned him to avoid the area. After four hours deliberation, the jury found on March 27, 2009, that the Georgia Department of Corrections was liable for Couch’s injuries. It awarded him $105,000.
Couch was represented by attorneys Thomas G. Tidwell and Kevin Elwell.
See: Couch v. Georgia Department of Corrections, Walker County Superior Court, Case No 07-CV-6509
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Related legal case
Couch v. Georgia Department of Corrections
| Year | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Cite | Walker County Superior Court, Case No 07-CV-6509 |
| Level | State Trial Court |
| Conclusion | Jury Verdict |
| Damages | 105,000.00 |