Jury Finds Las Vegas HOA Must Pay $20M for Faulty Swing Set

A jury says a Las Vegas homeowners association must pay a man $20 million after a swing set collapsed on him as a teen and left him with brain damage.

A Clark County District Court jury returned the verdict earlier this month in a civil case filed by a teenager who suffered a traumatic brain injury in the playground accident.

According to the lawsuit, 15-year-old Carl Thompson sat down on a swing set at Lamplight Village at Centennial Springs in 2013 to send a text message. The lawsuit says the set’s 42-pound metal crossbar broke, landed on his head and crushed the left side of his skull.

Several defendants were named in the initial lawsuit, including Playland International, Inc., Jaylee Fence LLC DBA Park Pro and the HOA.

The swing set had failed multiple times, according to an attorney for Thompson interviewed by Darcy Spears of KTNV news.

A jury found that Lamplight Village at Centennial Springs Homeowners Association was responsible for Thompson’s injuries.

The $20 million verdict exceeds the Homeowners Association’s insurance policy. According to Spears, each homeowner will likely have to chip in $80,000 towards the jury award.