The family of an Essex County mother who sued Verizon after a weathered pole fell on the woman and left her paralyzed settled its lawsuit against the utility company on Monday for $125 million, according to court documents.
Maria Moser Meister, 50, a lawyer from West Orange, was injured on Jan. 23, 2017 in Union City when she was struck by the pole as she waited for a bus for her commute to work in New York, according to the complaint.
Court documents state the 43-year-old wooden pole was partially rotted and snapped at its base, crushing the woman’s head and body.
Meister suffered multiple fractures of her spine, ribs, was paralyzed from her mid-chest down and now has limited use of her left arm, brain injuries and vision problems, the family’s attorney, David Mazie of Roseland, told Law.com.
Meister at the time of the accident was general counsel for finance firm Milberg Factors in New York, and previously had been an associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
The pole was co-owned by Verizon under an agreement with PSE&G and held equipment and wires from Verizon and PSE&G, according to court documents.