Seattle ordered to pay $12.75 million to firefighter injured in sliding pole accident

Posted by: Curt Varone October 23, 2009 0

A King County, Washington jury ordered the City of Seattle yesterday to pay $12.75 million to a former firefighter who was injured in an unusual sliding pole injury. Click here for article. The injury occurred in 2003, under apparently similar circumstances to a previous incident in 1976. A firefighter not normally assigned to the station, left a darkened dormitory in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, mistook the door to the pole for the door to the bathroom, and fell approximately 15 feet suffering severe injuries.

Often cases such as this are barred by a number of legal doctrines, such as sovereign immunity, workers compensation exclusivity, or statutory immunity, and in many states would be statutorily capped by tort claims acts. No word yet on whether the City will appeal.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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