Topgolf Ordered to Pay $15.8M for Oregon Boy's Brain Injury

A federal jury awarded nearly $16 million to the family of Henry Thomsen, a 9-year-old boy who suffered a serious brain injury after being hit in the head by a golf club at the Hillsboro Topgolf location during a birthday party in 2021. The jury found Topgolf 97% negligent and the parents who hosted the party 3% negligent, with damages including $12.5 million for pain and suffering and $3.3 million for economic losses. Despite Topgolf's claims of extensive safety measures such as red-painted safety lines, warning signs, and audio alerts, evidence showed 27 incidents of guests being struck by clubs at two locations between 2019 and 2021. The family's lawyer argued that Topgolf was aware of the risks but failed to implement sufficient protections, with the company's own risk consultant recommending barriers or attendants to prevent such accidents as early as 2013. Henry's injuries required emergency neurosurgery and the implantation of three titanium plates, and he has since faced ongoing physical and emotional challenges. The jury was set to consider punitive damages following the initial verdict.