SETTLEMENT : Fall off platform
In June of 1988, a 40-year-old instrument calibrator worked at a client’s facility, calibrating instruments as he had been trained to do, when he got caught in a terrible accident. During the performance of his normal duties, a cloud of hot steam engulfed him where he worked on a grated platform. The man fell 15 to 20 feet trying to escape the steam and suffered significant head trauma in doing so.
He was hospitalized for a neurological evaluation. Doctors listed him as having a concussion with long-term mild cognitive dysfunction expected. His immediate medical costs totaled $125,000 with an expectancy of future medical needs related to the accident. The worker also suffered an estimated earnings loss of $500,000 in past and future present value.
The worker hired Richard B. Koskoff and Lawrence R. Booth of Booth & Koskoff to represent him against his employer and the client company. His attorneys argued that the Defendant and co-Defendant should never have allowed workers present in an area where equipment was undergoing steam cleaning. Rather, the area should have been roped off, barricaded, and labeled unsafe.
In response, the defendant argued that the area had been roped off. They additionally stated that the steam cleaning activity had been underway for several days at the time of the incident and that workers had been informed of the process and dangers.
The case was not an easy one. It took until March 1994 for it to be resolved. Under the stewardship of Judge William Beverley Jr., the two parties agreed to settle in favor of the plaintiff. Defendant one agreed to a payout of $1,950,000 and the co-defendant agreed to a payout of $800,000 for a sum total of $2,750,000.