The family of a young girl scorched by playground equipment in Brooklyn Bridge Park two years ago won a $17,500 settlement from the city yesterday.
Paula Spolar was just over a year old when she suffered second-degree burns on both hands when she touched a sun-heated metal play dome inthe then-recently opened Brooklyn Bridge Park playground in June 2010.
“Clearly this was an irresponsible design that the public should not have been exposed to,” said Geoffrey Croft of NYC Park Advocates. “The metal domes were like hibachi grills.”
The three metal domes were removed later that summer.
The city tried to shift blame onto the playground designer by filing a third-party suit against Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates in February, claiming that any negligence was the designer’s fault. Justice Sylvia Ash ordered the city and its development corporation overseeing the park to pay the settlement.
“Remember, it’s ‘Your Honor,’ ” dad Matthew Spolar whispered to Paula, 3, as he carried her into court.
“Hopefully this settlement will lead to safer parks for our children,” said attorney Gary Weinberg.
The attorney who represented the city and Brooklyn Bridge Park Corp. declined to comment. Brooklyn Bridge Park and Van Valkenburgh Associates did not return a call for comment.