CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS

Our clients’ son, a fine young man with a promising future, was eating his lunch with two co-workers in the shade of a 20 foot “tilt up” wall at the construction site. The concrete wall had been built on the ground and tilted up in place. This building technique saves money. However, someone forgot to make sure the top of the wall was firmly secured. The wall fell, crushing the three men to death. His family asked Barron & Berry to find out who was responsible and obtain justice. After extensive litigation the defendants ultimately entered into a confidential settlement with the family.

When an accident happens on the job, the injured worker is usually entitled to worker’s compensation benefits from his employer’s insurance carrier. This money is paid for lost wages and medical expenses according to a formula, and is paid regardless of who was at fault in the accident. However, when another person or company other than the employer causes an accident, the injured worker or family of the person killed may be able to recover additional damages, as in the case of the young man killed by the tilt-up wall.