In a case presented by Chicago personal injury attorney James J. Morici, Jr., a Cook County jury returned a verdict for a bricklayer totaling $1.78 million for injuries sustained when a scaffold he was working upon collapsed at a new-home construction site in South Barrington.The Plaintiff, a 24-year-old bricklayer from Chicago, was injured when the scaffold he was working upon collapsed.
As a result of the accident, the Plaintiff sustained a severely broken back as well as broken ribs, preventing him from returning to the masonry profession. The Plaintiff based his case upon the failure of the Defendant to comply with the safety regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in the construction and maintenance of the scaffolding. Specifically, the Defendant erected the scaffolding in question on a slope with its lower legs supported by concrete blocks instead of the requisite safe supports required by OSHA standards. Plaintiff asserted that the Defendant’s failure to comply with these standards, along with heavy rains the day before, undermined the scaffold’s support and caused it to tip injuring the Plaintiff.
The Cook County jury of 12 deliberated for approximately three and one-half hours before returning a verdict against the Defendant totaling $2.18 million, reduced by 20% for the Plaintiff’s contributory negligence. The Honorable Judge William Maki presided over the trial at Chicago’s Daley Center.
Morici is a founder of the Chicago-based personal injury and worker’s compensation firm of Morici, Longo & Associates. He is a long-time veteran of Northern Illinois trial courtrooms and is a former First Chair, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney.
For more information on representation as a result of serious negligence claims, call to speak to one of our Chicago personal injury attorneys. There is no charge for our initial consultation, and our representation is provided on a contingency fee basis which provides no attorneys fees unless a recovery is made.