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Construction sites present many hazards to workers and bystanders. Injuries often occur as a result of unsafe ladders, uneven footing, and construction debris. Further, unsafe working conditions or defective equipment and machinery may cause injuries or even death. Accidents may also occur due to human error.
When a worker is injured he may be able to file a workers’ compensation claim or a personal injury action, depending upon the circumstances surrounding the injury. The attorneys at Burke, Wise and Morrissey have the expertise to determine where to file an appropriate claim and how to get the best results.
Sochacki v. Gurtz Electric
A concrete carpenter on the Skybridge Project in Chicago tripped over a conduit bender left out on the site. The worker sustained a herniated disk and required fusion surgery.
Settlement date: 9/05/08. Settlement amount: $2,518,000.
Budrik v. R.C. Wegman Construction Company
A 36-year-old boilermaker injured his back while working on the Hollywood Casino Project. Due to a lack of stable ladders, workers used 2 foot high wooden spools to step onto and off of the fabrication tables. While using the spool, the boilermaker lost his balance and twisted his back damaging the L5-S1 disc.
Verdict Date: 10/03/07. Verdict amount: $3,288,000 reduced by 38% to $2,039,000.
Farmer v. Turner Construction, et al.
A 51-year-old pile driver suffered an aggravation of a pre-existing back injury when a co-worker hit him with a beam the co-worker was trying to move.
The pile driver has and continues to suffer excruciating pain and partially debilitating pain in his back, pain in his neck and a limitation in the range
of motion in his back and shoulder.
Settlement date: 8/3/07. Settlement amount: $1,100,000.
Bartos v. Gallant Construction, Inc.
A construction worker was injured after falling off an unsecured ladder. He sustained wrist and ankle fractures requiring fusions.
Settlement date: 2/23/07. Settlement amount: $5,000,000.
Wojtecki v. R.C. Wegman Construction
A construction worker wrenched his back and sustained a herniated disk after stepping onto scaffolding with a plank missing.
Settlement date: 2/07. Settlement amount: $1,255,000.
Seay v. Thrush Construction Company
An electrician suffered brain damage and spinal cord injuries affecting his nervous system after falling down an elevator shaft.
Settlement date: 6/06. Settlement amount: $8,000,000.
Hupe v. Meyer Material Company
A 34-year-old construction worker died after being crushed by a cement truck.
Settlement date: 04/06. Settlement amount: $6,150,000.
Robak v. Citgo Petroleum Corporation
A worker knocked over a bucket of material into a “cyclone vessel” which struck a 35-year-old male 20 feet below, injuring his shoulder and disabling him as a boilermaker.
Settlement date: 07/09/04. Settlement amount: $2,500,000.
Hinich v. McHugh
A man suffered a severe injury to his knee while working on a jobsite littered with construction debris, much of which was under water. As he moved through the water, his foot caught on broken concrete and rebar and he twisted his knee.
Settlement date: 12/03. Settlement amount: $1,250,000.
Ramlow v. T & C Homes
A carpenter fell off the roof while he was taping down Tyvak insulation.
He fractured his left lower tibia and his upper fibula.
Settlement date: 04/29/03. Settlement amount: $500,000.
Mesler v. Prudential Insurance Company of America
An ornamental ironworker at a construction project at the Prudential
Building in Chicago walked through the door of a utility room and landed
awkwardly on his foot when he stepped down expecting to find a ramp.
The ramp had been removed, exposing two stairs approximately 1 1/2 feet
in height.
Settlement date: 03/25/03. Settlement amount: $800,000.
Dewbray v. CTA, et al.
An electrician working on the Green Line L rehab project was injured
after he fell off a ladder as the result of a short in a drill. He hung
by a beam until rescued by co-workers. As a result of the incident he
suffered permanent damage to his right shoulder.
Settlement date: 03/25/03. Settlement amount: $425,000.
Wurl v. Dathe Van Every
An electrician was injured while working at a bacon factory. She suffered
injuries to her knee when she slipped on bacon grease.
Settlement date: 02/19/03. Settlement amount: $1,500,000.
Harry v. Morton International
A construction worker injured his shoulder after a large pole which
was improperly secured broke apart on top of him. He was unable to return
to work.
Settlement date: 05/24/02. Settlement amount: $1,005,000.
Yaksic v. U.B.M.
An ironworker fell from a column at a construction site and fractured
his spine. He was rendered an incomplete paraplegic with some function
below the waist.
Verdict date: 03/23/01. Verdict amount: $9,600,000.
Mezydlo v. Filip Metal
A man was electrocuted and died when he came in contact with an uninsulated
power line.
Settlement date: 06/29/01. Settlement amount: $4,150,000.
Haviar v. Reynolds Metal Company
A firefighter was killed while attempting to rescue several employees
who were lying unconscious in an excavation site. He died as a result
of inhaling argon gas.
Settlement date: 01/14/99. Settlement amount: $1,074,650.
Brown v. Giben
A 44 year-old man was crushed by a moving part of a wood-cutting machine.
He was trapped for several minutes and suffered irreparable brain damage
due to a lack of oxygen.
Settlement date: 08/14/98. Settlement amount: $4,100,000.
Griffin v. ComEd
A 26-year-old man was killed at a construction
site when the boom of a crane he was near came in contact with a power
line.
Settlement date: 05/19/98. Settlement amount: $5,000,000.
Ewanic v. Kelso-Burnett
A pipe fitter received an electrical charge while installing pipe while
he was standing on a ladder. As a result of the charge he sustained
shoulder damage.
Settlement date: 06/02/97. Settlement amount: $1,600,000.
Sadzak v. Goodman
An ironworker died after being electrocuted when a 30 foot piece of iron
he was raising struck an overhead power line.
Settlement date: 10/11/95. Settlement amount: $1,200,000.
Giesler v. Pinnacle
A construction worker suffered a “closed head” injury in
a 30-foot fall during the construction of the Radisson Hotel. The accident
left the worker permanently paralyzed.
Settlement date: 10/11/94. Settlement amount: $9,000,000.
Bradley v. Village of Antioch
A 42 year-old man was killed when an underground gasoline storage tank
exploded as he was attempting to dismantle the tank.
Settlement date: 10/25/93. Settlement amount: $1,825,000.