Morici, Longo & Associates is proud to announce last week's settlement of $2.7 million in a Chicago personal injury lawsuit on behalf of an injured ironworker. The settlement was so groundbreaking that the insurance company and the defendant general contractor demanded that their identities be held confidential. What we are able to report is that when those in control of construction sites allow dangerous conditions to exist and put time, money and expediency above worker safety, that people get hurt. We at MLA-Law strive to obtain full and fair compensation for the unfortunate injuries that result to our clients.
A few winters ago, during the erection of a Chicago high-rise building footing on the upper levels turned extremely treacherous as a result of dropping temperatures and overnight snowfall. Metal decking upon which ironworkers were required to work were slippery and dangerous. The general contractor's scheduling demanded that the work proceed even in the light of complaints by the ironworkers that the footing was too treacherous. Requests for melting agents or for the use of heaters which were standing nearby were denied. The work was ordered to proceed so as to allow for a concrete pour scheduled for later in the day.
That concrete pour would be accompanied by the use of the propane heaters to bring the temperature in the area of the curing concrete up to an acceptable level. The use of these heaters would also have allowed the ironworkers better footing by melting the snow and ice that accumulated on the steel decking. The general contractor's decision to conserve the propane fuel and not make the conditions safe, led to the victim's career-ending injury.
While attempting to lay out post-tensioning cables, thick heavy metal cables that lie within the interior of the poured concrete slab, the ironworker slipped and fell landing heavily on his shoulder requiring multiple surgeries and resulting in a near total loss of use. The injured ironworker in his early 50s has been unable to return to work and is permanently disabled from continuing with his lucrative, albeit sometimes dangerous, occupation.
Morici, Longo & Associates makes a substantial concentration of its practice in the representation of the seriously injured in construction site injury negligence cases, as well as, motor vehicle collisions, products liability injuries, and workers compensation claims. Day in and day out, we try to live up to our motto "Morici, Figlioli: When you can't afford to settle for less."