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Pa. Man Paralyzed By Tipped Toilet Prank Gets $5M

The lawsuit faulted the manufacturer for not providing ground spikes with the unit, despite holes designed for that purpose on the base, and the installer for resting the unit on a hill, and propping it up with wood.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A man left paralyzed from the shoulders down when his relatives tipped over a portable toilet while he was inside has settled a Pennsylvania lawsuit against the toilet manufacturer, the relatives and others for $5 million.

Donald Adams III was on a camping and fishing trip with two cousins-in-law at the time, The Legal Intelligencer reported Wednesday.

The newspaper, quoting filings from Sullivan County in northeastern Pennsylvania, said the relatives backed their truck up to the toilet to lock Adams inside as a prank. However, they inadvertently knocked the toilet over when they banged on it and shook it, the lawsuit said.

Adams landed on his neck, causing several cervical fractures that left him a quadriplegic.

He was flown to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia for surgery, and spent two weeks at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, his lawyer said in a trial memo.

Adams and his wife sued the relatives along with the toilet manufacturer, Poly-San, and the installer. The lawsuit faulted the manufacturer for not providing ground spikes with the unit, despite holes designed for that purpose on the base, and the installer for resting the unit on a hill, and propping it up with wood.

Those defendants have argued that the relatives are alone responsible for his injuries, the Philadelphia-based legal newspaper reported.

The lawsuit was not immediately available from the courthouse, and no further details about the case could be obtained.

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