<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none;" alt="" src="https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=2941673&amp;fmt=gif">
work-injury-compensation-accident
10/30/2017

VB Attorneys Settles Work Injury Lawsuit After Crane Accident

Vuk Vujasinovic

Vuk Vujasinovic

10/30/2017

A construction worker who was a lead man with Doran Steel, Inc. was injured while working on a top of an industrial chemical tank in Cameron, Louisiana. A tower crane operator with Viking Equipment, LLC was lowering a load of re-bar to the top of the tank when he disregarded the lead man’s hand signals and lowered the re-bar on top of the lead man.

The lead man hurt his neck and back in the crane accident, but the company doctors were not properly taking care of him. The lead man’s medical condition continued to deteriorate, and then he hired VB Attorneys to help him. VB filed a lawsuit against Viking Equipment, LLC, its crane operator, and Baker Concrete Construction, Inc., the general contractor at the work site. VB filed the case in Walker County District Court.

The construction companies vigorously denied any responsibility for hurting the lead man. Their lawyers said the accident was all the lead man’s fault for not paying attention to his surroundings and in using improper hand signals. The companies hired work safety experts who prepared an elaborate re-construction of the accident and said the accident was not the companies’ fault, but rather the fault of the lead man and his crew.

VB hired work safety experts to support the lead man’s case, and took several depositions of company employees. Through company depositions, VB showed that the crane operator caused the accident. VB also demonstrated that the companies knew this crane operator was dangerous and should never have allowed him to be operating a crane in the first place. Further, VB demonstrated multiple OSHA violations by the companies in how they conducted the work at this industrial site.

The lead man hurt his neck and back in the accident. The lead man’s doctors diagnosed him with injured discs in his neck and back, as well as lumbar spine instability. The lead man underwent a three level discectomy and fusion surgery on his low back.

VB hired experts to support the lead man’s damages in the case, including a vocational rehabilitation expert and an economist. The companies hired their own experts in these fields to try to limit the damages.

After numerous depositions and hard work on the case, VB negotiated the case to a confidential settlement. The lead man was very pleased with the settlement, especially in light of how poorly he was treated by the companies after he was initially hurt on this job.