AKRON, Ohio – A jury awarded $786,760 to an Ohio man who says he has endured years of pain and must walk bowlegged after his left testicle was struck by a broken weight-machine bar at an athletic club.
"I can barely walk, let alone run. There's a constant throbbing of pain. I mean, it's my testicle. That's a very uncomfortable spot to feel pain," said Jason Houston, 25, adding that sex is tenuous following the February 2004 injury at a local YWCA, the Akron Beacon Journal reported in its Wednesday editions.
Houston, who won the award Monday, was lifting about 150 pounds on a leg extension machine when a cable broke. That caused a center steel rod with an adjusting ball to swing 180 degrees into his groin.
Robert Meeker, the attorney who represented Houston during a weeklong civil trial, said the machine had broken twice before while in use. According to court papers, duct tape covered part of the rod.
Houston has been receiving treatment for pain since. A nerve pain blocker was installed, but that has not corrected all the pain.
"It's a horrendous injury. Everyone who hears his story just kind of winces," Meeker said.
Houston has fathered a daughter and plans to marry next month. He has been forced to leave college and some jobs because his injury has left him unable to walk at a normal pace, Meeker said.
David Ross, an attorney who represented the YWCA, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. A message seeking comment was left at his office.
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