A jury has awarded nearly $96,000 in damages to a northwest Indiana girl who was injured in 2018 while playing in a bounce house at a local YMCA.
After a four-day trial in the civil case against Valparaiso Family YMCA, the Porter County jury on May 6 awarded the girl $95,833 in compensatory damages.
The Valparaiso girl was 2 years old when she was injured in August 2018 while playing in an inflatable bounce house at the YMCA in the city about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southeast of Gary, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.
A lawsuit filed on her behalf alleged she suffered permanent and severe injuries that resulted in medical expenses, and alleged negligence and wanton conduct by the YMCA.
In their verdict, the jurors found ordinary negligence by the YMCA and decided that its actions did not amount to gross negligence, said Jennifer Diane Norris, an attorney for the YMCA.
Norris said the YMCA admitted being responsible for the injuries the girl had suffered, so the case turned on the question of “the nature and extent of those damages as a result of her injuries.”
She said the YMCA “believes the jury’s decision was fair” and wishes the girl “the best in the future.”
Attorney Kenneth J. Allen, whose office filed the lawsuit, said he and the girl’s family believe the “jury’s verdict will result in changes being made, and for that both the family and I are gratified.”
This article was first published in Insurance Journal.
