Arnold & Itkin LLP Attorneys Win $2.4 Million Judgment For Injured Refinery Worker
The Houston trial law firm Arnold & Itkin LLP recovered a verdict of more than $2.4 million handed down on February 17th on behalf of a worker who suffered severe burns while on the job at ExxonMobil’s refinery in Baytown, Texas.
Attorneys Kurt Arnold and Paul Skrabanek of Arnold & Itkin represented the injured refinery worker in a jury trial heard in Texas state district court in Houston.
The firm's client suffered burns over 25 percent of his body in mid-2008 as a result of a flash fire from hot oil that poured out of a pipe bleeder valve and ignited. The injured man was working on an elevated platform and could not get to the ground because the exit was blocked by the fire.
At trial, attorneys Arnold and Skrabanek successfully argued that the pipe system, designed by GDS Engineers Inc. and SNC-Lavalin Engineers & Constructors Inc., was faulty, and that the oil should have been pumped in a closed pipe since it was above its autoignition temperature and represented a fire hazard. Evidence also showed that the platform on which the firm's client was working violated safety regulations by not incorporating two paths to enter and exit the platform.
Attorney Arnold admonished that the firm's client “is a dedicated, hard worker who was severely hurt just trying to do his job." In addition, Arnold said, “GDS Engineers and SNC-Lavalin could have prevented this terrible accident by taking basic steps to design the platform and equipment to account for these obvious hazards.”
GDS Engineers and SNC-Lavalin insisted on a trial, and jurors awarded a total of $2.434 million after finding that the companies’ negligence was the cause of the refinery worker's injuries. The total award includes $1.84 million for pain and mental anguish, $380,000 for physical impairment and disfigurement, $146,000 in medical expenses and $68,000 in lost wages.
If you have any questions regarding a maritime incident or have suffered a maritime injury, contact a maritime attorney online at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free consultation or call our maritime law office toll free at 866-222-2606.
