Many Pennsylvania workers are employed in the construction industry, which ranks high on most lists for risk of workplace accidents. A construction worker in another state suffered a catastrophic injury on the job and filed a product liability claim. The jury recently awarded him more than $4 million for his losses.
The product in question was a water system component of a machine that pulverizes asphalt. The system, which weighed approximately 2,200 pounds, broke loose and fell on the worker. The ghastly injury nearly amputated the man’s foot at the ankle. Thankfully, his medical team was able to save his foot, but he is still in recovery and will need several more surgeries.
Attorneys representing the injured worker say he will never be able to go fishing or enjoy other outdoor activities to which he was accustomed with his young son. He will never be able to drive a commercial truck again, which he had been doing for most of his adult life. The machine failure devastated his life and caused him permanent disability. In court, the man’s attorneys presented evidence to the jury to show that the piece of equipment in question had a design flaw.
Weighing more than one ton, the equipment was designed to balance on a tripod that was fastened together through holes on the legs with pin rods. The man’s attorneys showed the jury that one of the holes was misshapen. This caused the equipment to become unstable, which resulted in it breaking loose and falling on the worker. The jury agreed with the man’s attorneys that the product was flawed and that the manufacturer should be held liable. Any Pennsylvania worker or resident injured by a product with a design flaw may wish to speak with an experienced product liability attorney about his or her case.
