Woman Hurt by Parade Balloon Sues for $395 Million

A spectator who was injured when a giant balloon at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade went out of control sued the department store Monday for $395 million.

Kathleen Caronna, 34, was in a coma for almost a month after a hunk of metal struck her in the head when fierce wind sent the Cat in the Hat balloon careening into a lamppost as she watched the parade.

The state Supreme Court lawsuit, which also names the city as a defendant, claims Macy’s was careless, reckless and negligent in its operation of the Nov. 27 parade and disregarded the dangers to the public.

Debris rained on Caronna and other spectators just moments after she handed her baby son to her husband. At least three other people were injured but not as seriously as Caronna, who suffered a fractured skull, brain damage and impaired vision.

Caronna, a brokerage house compliance officer, has returned home from the Kessler Institute, a rehabilitation facility in East Orange, N.J., and has continued to undergo almost daily therapy.

Included as plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Caronna’s husband, Ignazio Massimo Caronna, and their son, Alessandro, now 13 months old. The suit asks for $95 million in compensatory damages from all of the defendants and $300 million in punitive damages from Macy’s.

The lawsuit also names as defendants Macy’s parent company, Federated Department Stores, the city’s police and transportation departments, and others, including companies that built and wired the lamppost.

Ronnie Taffet, Macy’s vice president for public relations, and David Goldin, a lawyer for the city, wouldn’t comment.