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Boy injured by falling TV awarded $19M     Send a link to a friend

[September 25, 2007]  CHICAGO (AP) -- A jury awarded $19 million Monday to a 13-year-old boy who suffered severe brain injuries when a television fell on his head at school.

A TV bolted to a stand toppled onto the child at St. Genevieve School on Oct. 30, 2003, when the boy, then 9, tugged on it, said Steve Passen, who represented the boy in the lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Chicago.

"It was highly unsteady and unsafe to be around children -- that's the bottom line," Passen said. "I think ($19 million) is a fair amount, given the severity of his injuries."

The boy, who was in the fourth grade, was in a coma for several weeks and surgeons removed part of his skull. While he is now in the eighth grade, his cognitive abilities are at a third-grade level, his left arm is severely injured and and he walks with a limp, Passen said.

The archdiocese said it admitted liability at the trial, which focused on setting a damages amount.

"Basically, the archdiocese has been primarily concerned for the future of the young person involved," archdiocese spokeswoman Susan Burritt said.

The boy now attends a Chicago public school, where he receives special instruction to address his disabilities, Passen said.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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