A jury in California recently awarded a young woman over $30 million in a lawsuit against MasterCraft, a Tennessee-based boat manufacturing company, after she was severely injured while riding on the X-45 boat with a group of friends.

The accident occurred in 2006 on Lake Oroville. The 27-year-old woman was riding on the boat when water suddenly submerged the bow of the boat. The woman, as well as a friend, were swept off the boat and hit by the its propeller. The woman’s head and face was hit three times by the spinning propeller, and she suffered serious injuries to her brain and face. The woman’s friend suffered injuries to her legs and back.

A former employee of MasterCraft testified during the trial, saying that the boat was never tested on claims that it could safely hold up to 18 people. The jury ruled that the X-45’s design was defective because of its large bow that easily becomes submerged in water, and the company has been asked to issue a recall of the boat.

If you or someone you love has suffered a traumatic brain injuries due to a company’s defective product, please contact the Louisville traumatic brain injury lawyers of Sampson Law Firm at 502-584-5050.