Home » Blog » GWC’s Bennett J. Baker Obtains Settlement Worth $2.16 Million for Injured Ironworker

GWC’s Bennett J. Baker Obtains Settlement Worth $2.16 Million for Injured Ironworker

IronworkerGWC Injury Lawyers attorney Bennett J. Baker recently obtained a $1.6 million settlement for an ironworker who severely injured his legs at a steel plant. Mr. Baker also negotiated the waiver of a $560,000.00 workers’ compensation lien for his client, raising the effective economic value of the settlement to $2.16 million.

Ironworker Felled by Steel Plate

Mr. Baker’s client was employed as an ironworker by a construction company. At the time of this incident, a Chicago-area steel plant had hired the construction company to reinforce the facility’s blast furnace with multi-ton steel plates.

On April 4, 2012, the client and his co-workers were at the plant, transferring the steel plates from the unloading area to the blast furnace with the use of a crane. The ironworker welded a lug onto a steel plate in order to attach it to the crane. As that steel plate was being transferred, the weld failed, sending the plate falling towards him.

The ironworker tried to run away to safety, but he tripped over pieces of debris and slag (a byproduct of the steelmaking process) that had been left on the ground. The steel plate landed on and seriously injured his legs.

One and a Half Years in Recovery

The ironworker needed extensive medical treatment for his injuries. The recovery process took one and a half years, and he could not work during that time. Eventually, Mr. Baker’s client reached maximum medical improvement and was able to return to work, though now as a superintendent.

With his client’s medical treatment finally at an end, Mr. Baker turned his focus to helping the man get the financial compensation he deserved for this life-changing event from the party at fault – the steel plant.

Duty to Exercise Reasonable Care

“The steel plant, by and through its employees, had control of the site where my client had been contracted to do his job,” explained Mr. Baker. “They had a duty to exercise reasonable care in the management, supervision, and oversight of any work taking place at the facility in order to prevent injury to anyone engaged in work.”

Part of this duty to exercise reasonable care involved inspecting the site for any hazards and taking steps to remedy or remove them. These hazards included debris that somebody working in a given area might be expected to trip over, as the injured ironworker did.

“The fact that my client tripped over slag reflected especially poorly on the steel plant,” Mr. Baker continued, “because slag is a known byproduct of the steelmaking process. The plant’s employees should have been on the lookout for slag and removed it, something that they did not do. This was a classic case of premise negligence.”

$1.6 Million Settlement with Additional Relief

Mr. Baker was able to convince the Defendants about the merits of the case. The steel plant agreed to settle prior to trial for $1.6 million.

He also got the insurance carrier for his client’s employer to waive its workers’ compensation lien in the amount of $560,000.00. Altogether, this meant a net gain for his client of $2.16 million.

Construction Accident Litigation

With construction accident litigation, determining and proving an accurate theory of liability can make all the difference between success and failure. For this reason, people who have been injured in construction accidents often find that they benefit from the help and guidance of a seasoned attorney, like the Chicago construction accident attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers, Illinois’ largest Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation law firm.

With more than $2 BILLION successfully recovered for our clients, the personal injury attorneys at GWC can provide the experience and determination to fight for the justice that you deserve.

If you or your loved one has been injured, please contact GWC today to schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys. Call our office at (312) 464-1234 or click here to chat with one of our representatives.

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