Chula Vista

The federal government will pay at least $4.6 million to the estate of an El Cajon man who suffered permanent brain damage while working at a river lock operated by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Herbert Cree Collins, 36, was injured in 1983 while caulking an underwater bulkhead at a lock on the Ohio River in Emsworth, Pa., according to court documents.

The man’s estate will receive $2.5 million immediately, according to a settlement filed Nov. 7 in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, Pa. The balance will be distributed in monthly payments from a private annuity fund.

Attorneys will receive more than $1.4 million of the lump sum, according to the settlement. The rest will be split between Collins’ mother, ex-wife and son.

The annuity will pay Collins’ estate $8,000 a month for five years and $3,000 a month thereafter.

Collins’ mother, Azubah Collins, cares for him at home in El Cajon and will receive annuity payments of $4,250 per month for at least 10 years.

When Collins dies, the balance of his estate will be split between his mother and his son, Jacob Collins.

The original lawsuit charged the Corps of Engineers with negligence.

The lawsuit said a lock operator permitted water to flow into the lock, sucking Collins into a valve chamber and cutting off his air supply. The lack of oxygen caused brain damage and left Collins with the mental capacity of a 5-year-old, according to the lawsuit.

At the time of the accident, Collins was working for Morrison-Knudson Co. Inc., which was under contract with the Corps of Engineers.