Maryland Accident Law Blog

A jury in Baltimore County is ordering Keibler-Thompson Co. to pay a Maryland welder over $3 million for a crushed leg injury he sustained at work in 1999. James Morris, 58, was seriously injured on his first day working as a welder at the Beth Steel Sparrows Point plant. Morris had been hired by a general contractor to reline a blast furnace.

A Bethlehem Steel dump truck, involved in Keibler’s cleaning project, rolled down an incline, crushing Morris’s leg. The welder was hospitalized for 1 month. He has not been able to perform his job since then.

Morris’s personal injury lawyer described how the truck’s wheels did not have chocks to keep it from rolling back. While the Keibler-Thompson Co.’s attorney argued that the defendant was only liable for the routine cleaning project and that the contractor that hired both the cleaning company and Morris should be held liable for the catastrophic accident, the jury disagreed.

The Baltimore County jury awarded Morris over $2.2 million in economic damages and $952,000 in non-economic damages, which Maryland will cap at $560,000.

Bethlehem Steel was also a defendant in the personal injury lawsuit until it filed for bankruptcy.

Work-related accidents often result in catastrophic injuries, and many injured workers are unable to ever return to their jobs.

Although Maryland’s worker’s compensation law prevents injured workers and their families from suing an employer, there may be a third party that is also responsible for your injury accident.

Our Maryland and Washington D.C. catastrophic injury attorneys have helped many injured workers obtain recovery from liable third parties. Often, workers’ compensation will not be enough to cover all medical costs and economic losses. Filing a third-party lawsuit can help you recover additional compensation.

Welder whose leg was crushed at Beth Steel plant wins $3M, The Daily Record, April 29, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission

Keibler-Thompson Co.

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The body of Wayne Kerr, a Maryland construction foreman employed by Centerline Construction Co., was found on Thursday at the bottom of a shaft in the Constellation Energy Group Headquarters in Baltimore.

Kerr, 55, was last seen by coworkers on Wednesday and did not return home from work. His wife called Centerline Construction yesterday morning to see if anyone had seen him.

Coworkers noticed his truck parked near the worksite. They discovered his body by paging his cell phone and listening for its beeps.

Baltimore homicide detectives and the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health are investigating the incident for the cause of death.

Falls are the number one cause of construction worker-related fatalities.

Other common causes of construction injuries and deaths:

• Scaffolding accidents
• Electric shock
• Explosions
• Fires
• Compressed gases accidents
• Welding accidents
• Machinery accidents
• Trench collapses
• Motor vehicle-related injuries
• Being hit by falling or heavy equipment or materials

Although construction workers (and their families) cannot sue their employers for work-related injuries, they are entitled to receive workers compensation benefits for injuries, lost wages, medical expenses, disability, or the death.

If a third-party that is not the employer was responsible for causing the construction accident, the injured party may be able to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.

Our Maryland and Washington D.C. personal injury law firm would be happy to discuss your case with you.

Missing construction foreman found dead near Inner Harbor, Baltimore Sun, February 15, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Maryland Occupational Safety and Health

Constellation Energy Group Headquarters

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Two men were injured while working at a construction site in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.

The construction workers were working about 30 feet under the ground on a building project in the downtown area when they were struck by a steal beam that they were lowering.

One of the workers was struck on the head. The other worker was hit on the back. Alan Etter, the DC Fire and EMS Spokesman says that the injuries are critical but not fatal.

If you are injured at a construction site, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Workers’ compensation is provided by employers for employees that are injured at work. A good personal injury attorney can make sure that you get the full range of benefits under the workers’ compensation package that you are entitled to.

By accepting benefits under workers’ compensation, you are waiving the right to sue your employer for personal injury. However, there may be other liable third parties involved, such as contractors, the manufacturers of defective construction tools or machinery, and building designers or architects.

An experienced personal injury attorney can examine the circumstances surrounding your construction injury and determine whether any other parties can be held financially and civilly responsible for your accident and recovery costs.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that in 2003:

• 155,420 construction accidents took place in the U.S.
• Out of every 10 construction workers, 1 person will get hurt on the job.
• The majority of the construction workers who were injured missed over 31 workdays.
• Defective construction materials and using construction tools/machinery are two of the most common causes of injuries at construction sites.
• The most common areas where construction workers are injured are their backs and trunks.

Two Men Injured in Construction Accident, NBC4.com, August 21, 2007

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

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