Woman Attacked by Chimp Has Reasonable Argument for Large Award Against State of Connecticut

     As a New York personal injury and accident lawyer in Livingston County near Rochester with more than seventeen years of experience holding corporations and individuals responsbile for causing injuries and accidents, I am watching the case of Charla Nash against the state of Connecticut with great interest.  Ms. Nash is the unfortunate woman who was horribly mauled and tremedously disfigured by a friend's 200 pound pet chimpanzee.  According to news accounts, a biologist with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection had warned state officials before the attack that the chimp at issue (named "Travis") could seriously harm someone due to his great strength and size.
     If these news accounts prove true, it would appear that the state of Connecticut failed to fulfill its most basic obligation to Ms. Nash-  to keep her safe from an identifiable and foreseeable harm that the Department of Environmental Protection is charged with regulating.  A pretty good argument could be made that the state was negligent by even allowing private ownership of chimpanzees in the first place.
     Is the $150 million that Ms. Nash is suing for excessive?    Perhaps that question could best be answered by asking if you would wish to trade places now with Ms. Nash in exchange for the money.  I know I wouldn't.  Would you?