Construction Site Accidents

$14,000,000 Workplace Safety Lawsuit Verdict. Wilmington Delaware jury returned a verdict of 14 million dollars in workplace safety case ... The largest verdict ever rendered in a workplace safety case in the State of Delaware ... tried by Anapol Schwartz partner Mark J. LeWinter, Esquire. Click here to read more on this case.

3.75 Million Dollar Settlement in Fatal Fire Lawsuit. Mark LeWinter obtained a $3.75 million dollar settlement for the surviving members of a family who lost a mother and three sisters in an October 1998 fire in Levittown. A company manufacturing baseboard heaters was held liable for their product including a heater that lacked certain features that would decrease the likelihood of short-circuiting. The company did not adhere to adequate inspection protocols prior to its distribution. Click here to read more on this case.

2.7 Million Dollar Verdict for Hand Amputation Case.. Mark J. LeWinter was awarded a verdict of 2.7 million dollars in a case where a 50 year old machine operator was attempting to clear a jam on a piece of industrial machinery called a “panel cutter”. The worker suffered the amputation of his hand through the center of his palm when the cutting mechanism of the machine cycled and his hand was inadvertently in the path of the cutting blade. Mr LeWinter was successful in light of the removal of a barrier guard by the employer which if in place would have prevented the accident. It was argued that the removal of the guard was foreseeable as there was no interlock which would have prevented movement of the blade if the guard was removed. The case was settled for the verdict amount within 6 weeks of the verdict.

$19 Million Dollar Settlement for Paralyzed Iron Worker in Fall. Mark LeWinter obtained a $19 million dollar verdict for an iron worker who fell thirteen feet, broke his neck, and was rendered a quadriplegic. The fall occurred because the construction company at the plaintiff's jobsite rejected the advice of its long-time safety expert and permitted him, and other employees, to work without any safety equipment at heights of up to 30 feet. Click here to read more on this case.

$2.5 million dollar settlement for electrician crushed by light fixture. Mark LeWinter received a $2.5 million dollar settlement for an electrician who was crushed by a 250 pound light fixture that fell from a height of more than 20 feet. A crane rental company had hoisted a pole in an attempt to eventually secure it onto a cement base, but the crane was improperly operated and resulted in the catastrophic injury. Click here to read more on this case.

$2 million dollar settlement for laborer injured in construction accident collapse. Mark LeWinter earned a $2 million dollar settlement, part of a global settlement of $12.7 million dollars, for a laborer who was injured during a collapse during the construction of the Kimmel Center. In the accident, seven workers were plunged 40 feet when formwork collapsed into a mass of twisted scaffolding and wet cement. The injured workers sued the formwork manufacturer, the concrete contractor and the general contractors.

$1.75 million dollar settlement for refinery worker paralyzed in workplace fall. Joel Feldman and Paul Anapol represented a refinery worker who was paralyzed from the waist down when he fell 28 feet while trying to turn off a valve at a refinery during an emergency. In order to access the valve, our client had to climb up onto and lean out over a safety railing. He was able to close the valve, but fell after doing so, resulting in his paralysis. Our client was retrained and is now working in another field. The defendants claimed that the refinery was designed in accordance with applicable safety standards. The case was settled for $1.75 million dollars with the contractor and designer of the refinery contributing to the settlement.

$1 million dollar global settlement for workers injured by PECO electricity lines. Mark LeWinter reached a $1 million dollar global settlement for workers who received electrical injuries when a metal hoist they were handling contacted a power line of the PECO Energy Company. The plaintiffs had believed that the power lines were insulated, but they were not. The placement of the power lines was a violation of the national safety codes and PECO's own internal standards.

$950,000 recovery for worker crushed by forklift. Mark LeWinter earned a $950,000 recovery for a worker who was crushed when he was stuck by a "rough terrain" forklift. It was alleged that the forklift contained an inadequate back up beeper that could not be heard over the ambient noise level of a construction site. It was also alleged that the rear view mirrors of the forklift created a blind sport at the right rear of the forklift.

$2.72 Million dollar Verdict for Machine Operator
Mark LeWinter obtained a $2.72 million dollar verdict for our client whose hand was amputated while he was attempting to clear a jam in a mattress-cutting machine called a “Panel Cutter.” The client removed a device known as a “barrier guard” that had been bolted to the Panel Cutter when it was manufactured. It was proven to show that the design of the barrier guard was unsafe and the Panel Cutter was defective because it had no warnings telling users not to remove the guard or instructions detailing how to operate the Panel Cutter or how to safely clear jams. Click here and here to read more on this verdict.

$5 Million dollar Verdict to Family of Man Killed in Elevator Shaft Fall. Mark LeWinter proved to a Philadelphia Common Pleas jury that the elevator company was negligent for violating a state safety code by continuing to service a condemned elevator in a warehouse. The client stuck a pen in the emergency button to open the outside elevator doors and proceeded to step into the shaft without realizing that the elevator car was not there. This was how everyone working in the building used the elevators. Click here to read more on this verdict.