The Town of North Hempstead settled a lawsuit for $140,000 after a resident alleged he had been injured in 2019 due to the negligence involving the town’s dock in Port Washington which led to slippery conditions.
Town attorney Rich Nicolello said the town dock’s non-slip traction strips are “routinely inspected and replaced” by town Parks Department employees who maintain it. He said safety improvements will also continue to be maintained.
“In fact, those traction strips are already scheduled to be replaced in the coming weeks for the 2025 summer season,” Nicolello said. “Additionally, our town carpenters are also rebuilding the wooden floating dock at the same location and are about halfway done with those upgrades.”
The suit was filed by Port Washington resident Michael Ford in Nassau County Supreme Court in November 2020.
Ford stated in court documents that he was injured on the town-owned dock in the late morning on Sept. 7, 2019. He served a notice of claims about two months later to the town.
On the day of the injury, court documents said the Port Washington Water Taxi was utilizing the southernmost dock for its services.
The gangway access to this dock was reported to have had excessive wear to both the anti-slip traction and the wood underneath. This resulted in “slick, slippery and unsafe” conditions without any warning signage, according to court documents.
Ford sais he was descending the gangway to the dock, holding onto a handrail, when he slipped and fell due to the slippery dock conditions. He reported a periprosthetic fracture to his prior right knee replacement, a torn right meniscus, a strained leg muscle and atrial fibrillation due to the injury.
Ford alleged in court documents that he was not the first person to have tripped and fallen at the dock.
A town deputy attorney previously denied the claims in court documents, stating that if injuries had been sustained they were “caused solely, and contributed to by culpable, negligence, and carelessness of” Ford.
The suit alleged the town had been aware of the wear to the town dock and its diminished safety prior to Ford’s injury and had “failed” to repair it.
Ford estimated damages to cost $1 million, but the town settled with him for a fraction of that at $140,000.
