Telecom tower climber gets $30M settlement in fall suit

PHILADELPHIA – A telecommunications tower climber who suffered severe injuries when a ladder rung dislodged and sent him hurtling 50 feet to the ground has reached a settlement with AT&T and others for $30 million.

The June 2013 fall in Allentown, Pennsylvania, left then-23-year-old Thomas Jeglum in a coma for months with multiple fractures to his pelvis, spine, arm and legs. His lawyer says Jeglum has a permanent, traumatic brain injury and remains in a full-time rehabilitation facility in California.

Shanin Specter, of Philadelphia-based firm Kline & Specter, says Jeglum’s family is “gratified” that they can now “provide for first-class care for the rest of his life.”

He has a wife and two young children.

His lawsuit alleged subsidiaries of AT&T knew of hazards at the tower, but failed to fix them.

A message seeking comment from AT&T wasn’t immediately returned Monday.