PITTSBURGH — The family of a boy injured at a Boy Scout camping event will settle a lawsuit with the Boy Scouts of America and a local troop.
Jarrett and Jessica Matson filed the lawsuit against Laurel Highlands Council and Boy Scouts of America on behalf of their child, Brazen Matson, after a tree limb fell on the boy's head at a 2015 camping trip.
According to court documents, the boy was walking in the woods when the tree limb fell on him. He was 8 years old at the time.
The boy required emergency surgery on his skull and remained hospitalized at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh for three days. He also had to undergo physical and occupational therapy, partly to treat paralysis in his right hand. After undergoing treatment, his doctor and a psychiatrist concluded that he did not need additional long-term care.
The parties agreed to a $300,000 settlement and filed a petition on June 25 in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County.
Per the settlement agreement, some of the money will go to Medicaid and attorney fees. The rest will go into "one or more trust funds" for the boy's personal and educational needs.