WATCH: (Scroll Down For Video) A man from Illinois who suffered a minor brain injury when he was struck by a sliding-glass door on a Holland American cruise ship has been awarded $21.5 million in damages.
James Hausman, aged 61, was captured on surveillance video being hit by the closing door as the company’s Pacific fleet flagship, the M/S Amsterdam, approached Hawaii in November 2011.
In the footage, Hausman, who was traveling with his wife and daughter on the first leg of a cruise around the world, is seen wincing in pain as he is smacked in the face and the side of the head.
Holland America, however, said in court documents the passenger walked into the closing doors.
After the smash, Hausman sought help from a ship doctor and was diagnosed with concussion.
He finished the cruise with his spouse and daughter, but tests later showed that he had suffered a minor brain injury resulting in seizures, memory loss and vertigo, his attorneys told the court.
‘He still has trouble with things that would have been simple before,’ said Hausman’s lawyer, Rick Friedman, adding that his client has sold his gold and precious-metals retail business.
Now, a federal jury in Seattle has awarded Hausman, who lives with his family in Springfield, more than $21milion in damages following a nine-day trial, according to The Seattle Times.
Read More: $21.5M verdict follows repeat injuries from Holland America ships’ doors
