A paralyzed Boca Raton, Fla, teen-ager will...
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A paralyzed Boca Raton, Fla, teen-ager will receive $2 million this year and up to $14 million during his lifetime in a helmet manufacturer’s settlement of his lawsuit stemming from a football injury.
Tommy Clark, 19, was injured Oct. 9, 1981, when he tackled a running back, and is now paralyzed from the neck down. The manufacturer, Riddell, settled the lawsuit last week.
Clark’s attorney, Carl Rentz of Miami, said the boy was one of the youngest players ever paralyzed in a football game. Two other Rentz clients--a Miami Edison High player and a Hollywood Chaminade High player--also won multimillion-dollar judgments from Riddell, a Chicago company.
Rentz said the rear rim of the helmet sat too low on the player’s neck and became a deadly piece of equipment when his head snapped back during a tackle.
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