FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (Legal Newsline) - Hi Tech Tree Trimming and owner Homer Smith were sued in the Washington County Circuit Court of Arkansas after a harness allegedly failed and dropped an employee 50 feet out of a tree.
The complaint was filed on April 21 by Thomas Gragson of Fayetteville. Gragson was working on a tree-cutting job in Wedington Woods on July 22, 2020, and was using a harness owned and provided by the defendants while working.
Gragson says the harness was defective and dropped him 50 feet out of the tree, causing a broken arm, ribs and hip, as well as a punctured lung and a fractured spine resulting in paralysis from the waist down.
Gragson spent two months in the hospital plus several weeks in rehab, resulting in more than $700,000 in medical bills, the suit says.
According to the complaint, Hi Tech Tree Trimming was not a registered business with the state and did not carry Workers' Compensation insurance.
Gragson is represented by Jason M. Hatfield PA of Fayetteville.