PENNSYLVANIA RECORD

A Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia employee has initiated a lawsuit against two

subcontractors who were hired to perform work on the facility over claims that she sustained a concussion and other injuries after a shelf at the worksite fell on top of her head.

Philadelphia attorney Richard M. Jurewicz, of the local law firm of Galfand Berger LLP, filed suit at Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court Sept. 4 against New York-based Turner Construction Company and Valley City Manufacturing Co. LTD of Ontario, Canada.

The plaintiffs in the case are Jessica M. Ng and her husband, Thomas Curran.

The lawsuit states that Ng, who worked as a research assistant at the hospital’s Department of Pathology & Laboratories, was injured on Oct. 5, 2011, after she was struck in the head by a wooden shelving unit that had collapsed in the aisle in which Ng was standing in the hospital’s Colket Translational Research Center.

A side panel from the shelving unit landed on top of Ng’s head, causing her to sustain a concussion, post-concussion syndrome, headaches, dizziness, vertigo, lightheadedness, fainting spells, fatigue, forgetfulness, short-term memory loss, mental fatigue, sleep deprivation and other injuries, the complaint alleges.

Turner Construction had been contracted at the time to perform work on the hospital’s South Campus Research Facility project, the suit states, and Valley City Manufacturing, which specializes in designing, manufacturing, building and selling architectural and office furniture, had been involved with the woodworking on the project.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of negligence for failing to properly install the laboratory equipment, failing to ensure that the shelving was properly secured, and improperly assembling and erecting the shelving.

In addition to her physical injuries, the suit states, Ng has experienced decreased mental activity, depression, emotional suffering, a loss of earnings and earning capacity, and a loss of life’s enjoyment.

The plaintiff has also incurred medical expenses relating to the treatment of her injuries.

The lawsuit contains counts of negligence, strict liability and loss of consortium.

The plaintiffs seek damages in excess of $50,000 as well as a jury trial.

 

The case ID number is 120900096.