The family of a 55-year-old worker who accidentally plummeted to his death at the University of Portland’s Chiles Center has filed a $13.3 million lawsuit against the university.
The lawsuit states that on Sept. 22, 2014, Thomas Charles “TC” Smith Jr. was using a Genie Personal Lift machine – provided by the university – to reach lights and speakers high above a stage. The lift tipped over, causing him to fall to the gym floor and hit his head, according to the suit filed last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
Smith died in hospice more than three months later, according to The Oregonian.