$24.55 Million Construction Accident Settlement

A construction worker was rendered permanently disabled after being struck by a vertical metal beam that was in the process of being dismantled.

Robert Zimmerman and John Lang secured a $24.55 million settlement for a construction worker who he was struck by a vertical metal beam that was in the process of being dismantled. The victim worked for a contractor and was working in the same location as the crew disassembling the beam. The worker was rendered permanently disabled as a result of the incident.

The firm filed suit in a southern U.S. state against the premises owner and the subcontractor who hired the disassembly crew. The subcontractor that dropped the beam had only $1 million of liability insurance coverage, an amount which did not even cover the victim’s medical expenses. The firm conducted over a year of discovery and reviewed more than 10,000 pages of construction work documents, policies, and emails to advance claims against the property owner and the contractor who retained the disassembly company who lacked adequate insurance coverage.

The firm alleged that the company who subcontracted the work was negligent in the hiring of the disassembly team, and that the job-site owner failed to establish a safe work zone and coordinate the work of the different contractors on site.

The defendants denied liability and argued that the plaintiff placed himself in a dangerous position knowing beam disassembly was occurring mere feet away from him, and that the only company responsible for the fallen beam was the disassembly crew.

The case settled months before trial.