HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The two sides in a civil case reached a settlement with each other Thursday morning just as the trial was about to go to the jury.
The plaintiff, Earl Stevens of Valley Falls, Kansas, was suing Butler County Community College, who did business as Grizzly Adventures, for $75,000 over injuries he suffered in an accident involving an attraction the college had at the 2013 Kansas State Fair.
It was back on Sept, 7, 2013, when Stevens and his family had been walking along the east end of Lake Talbot on the fairgrounds. The Zip-Line attraction crossed the sidewalk and one of the riders on that attraction struck Stevens.
Stevens and his attorneys claimed in the lawsuit filing that the operators of the Zip-Line were negligent for operating the ride when pedestrians were walking on the sidewalk. They also claim that they should have warned pedestrians and barricaded the area to prevent pedestrians from using the sidewalk while the Zip-Line was being operated. They also argued the design and construction of the ride exposed people on the ground to risk of injury.
Stevens was apparently thrown into the cement stairs and limestone blocks. He was knocked unconscious and was taken by Reno County EMS to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. Once there, it was determined that he suffered various fractures. He apparently suffers some joint pain to this day. He also cannot control drool out of the corner of his mouth, experiences numb teeth and the inability to sense hot and cold in his mouth.
The trial was coming to an end with District Judge Trish Rose getting ready to read jury instructions when the two sides announced they had reached a settlement. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.