MGM National Harbor

Photo by Amaury Laporte / Flickr

Five months ago, a six-year-old Maryland girl was electrocuted by a charged handrail at MGM National Harbor due to shoddy electrical work, leaving Zynae Green with extensive brain damage that may never be reversed. Now, her family is filing suit against the resort. Multiple outlets, including the New York Post and CBS Baltimore, have obtained copies of the lawsuit the family plans to file in court on Monday.

On June 26 of this year, Green was playing on the handrails near a lit fountain at MGM National Harbor when she was electrocuted with 120 volts. She went into cardiac arrest on site, and other people, including a security guard, were also injured trying to aid her. The lawsuit holds that MGM did not have a defibrillator on site, lengthening the amount of time that Green’s heart was stopped and her brain was deprived of oxygen, leading to the brain damage she now suffers, the New York Post reports. Green can no longer walk or talk, and is in a semi-vegetative state, according to multiple outlets. She has been hospitalized or in a care facility since the accident happened.

Green’s mother, Rydricka Rosier, posted a video on Facebook of her daughter’s 7th birthday celebration in a care facility on Sunday. She says in the post that MGM has not helped her family in the five months since her daughter’s accident.

“Today is my baby’s birthday. Thanks to everyone for celebrating but it breaks my heart that she is here and not at home. Five months since MGM did this to our family and still no help from them. Our Zy Zy is a fighter but she needs help Please continue to pray and share this video We love you all #TeamZynae,” the post reads. 

A company representative told the New York Post that it has offered to help Green’s family. An MGM spokesperson also told the New York Post that the bad wiring was the fault of shoddy work by a contractor. In September, Prince George’s County officials found that a device meant to reduce the flow of electricity to lights illuminating the handrail—known as an LED driver—was improperly installed. That improper installation charged the handrail with 120 volts of electricity. Earlier this month, the head of Prince George’s County’s Department of Permitting and Inspections stepped down under pressure due to the incident.