The family of a girl who was irreversibly injured after being shocked with 120 volts by a handrail at MGM National Harbor last year has agreed to dismiss a lawsuit with the hotel and two contractors, the Washington Post reports.
The family filed suit in Prince George’s County Circuit Court last November, alleging that the companies performed shoddy, improper electrical work on the handrail in an effort to get it done more quickly. Per the court docket, the parties in the case entered an agreement to dismiss the case on November 7 of this year, and a judge agreed to dismiss on November 14.
It’s not clear what, if any, monetary compensation the family received. Neither a lawyer for the family not MGM National Harbor have yet responded to DCist’s request for comment.
Zynae Green was 6 years old when the incident occurred. She was just about to be tested to see if she would be allowed to skip first grade and go straight to second, the Post reports. On June 26, 2018, she was playing on a lighted handrail with her brother at MGM National Harbor when she was electrocuted with 120 volts of electricity. She went into cardiac arrest on site, according to the lawsuit her parents filed and news reports of the incident. Her brother was also injured on the handrail, as was a security guard who tried to help her.
Green sustained profound injuries from the incident, according to legal filings and news reports. She can no longer walk, talk, eat, or breathe on her own, and will likely require lifelong, daily medical care.
A report from independent investigators hired by Prince George’s County determined that a device meant to control the flow of electricity to the handrail had been improperly installed. Because of that, the handrail was electrified with 120 volts of electricity instead of 12.
The lawsuit named MGM National Harbor and two contractors, Rosendin Electric and Whiting-Turner. Neither responded to a request for comment from the Post.
Green’s parents alleged that MGM National Harbor had no defibrillator on site, which increased the amount of time that her heart was stopped, depriving her brain of oxygen, according to reporting from the New York Post. The head of Prince George’s County’s Department of Permitting and Inspections stepped down last year due to the incident.
Green had gone to MGM National Harbor with her family that day to celebrate her graduation from kindergarten, according to the Post. She recently turned eight years old.
Natalie Delgadillo