Man Takes $7.25 Million Fall In Philly Museum

A man who plunged 38 feet in fall through a glass floor at the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia has been awarded a $7.25 million settlement, his lawyers announced this week.

Phani Guthula's near-fatal fall in 2012 was captured on surveillance camera and the video was released publicly this week by his attorneys at Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky.

Guthula, a Philadelphia-area energy efficiency engineer, fell through a glass attic floor while inspecting lighting fixtures in the famed Benjamin Franklin Parkway museum, his attorneys say.

Guthula suffered multiple fractures and other injuries in the fall. He spent more than 45 days the hospital and had more than 15 surgeries following the incident.

The multi-million dollar settlement was reached Friday.

The Rodin, which was released as a defendant from the litigation, is owned and operated by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and had recently completed a $9 million renovation at the time Guthula was working there. The museum was open to the public at the time of his fall.

"One of the Rodin's most famous sculptures is titled, Gates of Hell," said Bendesky, a member of Guthula's legal team. "The chilling picture of Phani Guthula falling nearly to his death could have the same title; his life has been a living hell everyday since his fall."

His lawyers say the defendants "failed miserably" to protect Guthula, including not having guard rails in place, having "uninformed" security in place, and a failure to have proper signage warning of the fall hazard.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art released a statement acknowledging the settlement, but denied Guthula's lawyers' claims that there was not proper signage near the fall site.

Photo: Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky.