RIVERDALE — A Bronx student is set to net $50,000 from the city for an injury he suffered while trying to slam dunk a basketball at a Williamsburg park, court records show.
Ariel Bock, 17, broke two bones in his right hand when he attempted a Shaq-worthy jam that ripped the rim from a backboard at the city's Martinez Playground, according to court records filed in Bronx Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The June 25, 2015, blooper left Bock with two fractured metacarpal bones, his lawyer, Ronald Roth, said in the court papers. The Riverdale teen also suffered a puncture wound that required stitches. He also had to undergo surgery and physical therapy due to the injuries.
Bock's mother, Renee Bock, filed a notice of claim against the city and the Parks Department on Aug. 28, claiming the city improperly installed the basketball hoop and allowed the rim to become loose. The notice, which is filed with the city comptroller's office, is the first step in suing the city.
But the comptroller's office reached the $50,000 settlement deal with the Bocks before a lawsuit was filed. The comptroller's office said during the settlement talks that, before Bock unhinged the hoop, the city had never gotten notice that the rim was loose, according to the court papers.
Roth's filing this week was to ask a Bronx judge to approve the settlement.
The comptroller's office declined to comment for this story.
Bock's lawyer declined to comment. Bock's mother did not respond to a request for comment.
The teen's Facebook page shows he has serious hoop dreams with aspirations of playing in the NBA.
