On October 25, 2011, a Cook County Jury awarded a gross verdict of $8,376,000.00 to an injured Local 21 bricklayer for a serious heel injury that he suffered in an Indiana construction accident on May 30, 2006. The case was tried before Judge Suriano, by Colin J. OMalley and Joseph P. Sorce of GWC Injury Lawyers in Chicago, Illinois. The lawsuit was filed against Emil Perrotta Co, Inc., a carpenter subcontractor working the Chicago area.
On May 30, 2006, the Local 21 bricklayer was working at the Coffee Creek Center Project taking place in Chesterton, Indiana. The bricklayers had started work at seven oclock that morning, and were working on the west side of the building. At some time between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m., the carpenters from Emil Perrotta Co. Used the bricklayers scaffold and left an unsupported walking plank. When the bricklayer returned to the east side of the building along with his partner to continue working after the morning break, he stepped on the unsupported walking plank which immediately gave way underneath him and he fell thirty feet to the ground below. As a result of the fall, the bricklayer suffered a calcaneus fracture, ruptured Achilles tendon, and a vertebral fracture. Despite his heroic efforts to rehabilitate himself and get back to work as a union bricklayer, a career he loved, he was never able to meet the physical demands of being a bricklayer.
The jury heard five days of evidence and deliberated for over eight hours before reaching its verdict. In their verdict, the jury found that the bricklayer was not responsible for the accident which was a real vindication to the bricklayer who prided himself on being a well-trained, safety conscious union mason. This finding by the jury was an very important part of their verdict because it was important for our client to know that his injuries were not his fault; stated trial counsel, Joseph Sorce.
The Chicago construction accident law firm of GWC Injury Lawyers has represented the working men and women of Illinois for over 30 years. They are proud to continue that tradition by representing a hard working member of the Bricklayers Local 21. GWC Injury Lawyers concentrates its practice on representing clients suffering catastrophic injuries and wrongful death cases in Chicago and the surrounding cities and counties in Illinois. The firm has 34 attorneys devoted to bringing negligent persons and corporations to justice for their wrong doings.
If you have any questions relative to the above, or if you have been injured in an accident in Chicago and are seeking legal representation, contact GWC Injury Lawyers at 1-312-464-1234.
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