With more than 35 years of experience representing plaintiffs who have sustained serious personal injuries or financial losses, the trial lawyers of BIREN|KATZMAN have successfully handled hundreds of cases, collecting more than $250 million for our clients. The following case is just one example:
RICHARDSON V. MARATHON LETOURNEAU
Manufacturer Of Dangerous Loader Settles On Eve Of Trial
Quinn Richardson and Paul Martin worked for a salvage company. They were sent by their employer to dismantle an enormous industrial loader (like a back hoe, but many times larger; click to see picture) so that the parts could be shipped back to the company and sold.
Richardson was an apprentice; Martin. was his supervisor. After the men elevated and blocked the front wheels of the loader, Mr. Richardson began removing the right front wheel and tire. The wheel was a rare split-rim type. He mistakenly removed most of the bolts which held the two halves of the wheel together. Then, when he could not get the final bolts off, he started burning them with a torch.
After Mr. Richardson had removed 47 of the 48 bolts and had burned ½ of the last bolt off, the 7000 pound tire exploded off the hub, hitting him head on and killing him. Junk from inside of the tire (rubber bladder, sand, water, etc) flew out and hit Mr. Martin, causing an eye injury and brain damage.
BIREN|KATZMAN developed a theory that the product (the wheel) was defective because it had two types of bolts, leading to Mr.Richardson.'s confusion. The defendant, which originally claimed it would never make an offer because the accident was solely caused by the workers, settled on the eve of trial for a significant confidential amount in the $ millions.
Contact BIREN|KATZMAN for a free consultation about cases in any of our practice areas; your recovery could begin today.
