26-Year-Old Sheet Metal Worker Falls off Ladder
Cliff Shapiro obtained a $688,000 recovery for a 26 year old sheet metal worker who fell off a ladder and caught his left hand on a metal duct he was cutting. He severed tendons to the middle, ring and small fingers of his left hand. Our client was required to undergo several tendon reconstruction surgeries. Although he missed approximately 18 months work, he eventually went back to work full time as a sheet metal worker in the same capacity as before the accident.
We contended that he was on a ladder which had a crack that had been improperly repaired. The leg of the ladder buckled and he was holding sheet metal when the ladder went down, cutting his fingers. The defendant HRH Construction Corporation contested the plaintiff's allegation that the leg of the ladder broke causing his fall. Despite the fact that there were no witnesses to the accident, Cliff convinced the insurance company that we would likely prevail at trial. They finally made this substantial offer to settle.