Warehouse Worker who Falls from Catwalk
Plaintiff suffered a number of fractures when he fell approximately 10 feet from a catwalk area in a warehouse. Plaintiff, who was 42 years old at the time, was walking on the catwalk after his shift was over, tripped on a box, and fell over the railing. Defendant vigorously disputed the plaintiff’s rendition of the facts, and alleged that plaintiff knew he was not supposed to be in the building so long after his shift, and as a result of trying to leave the premises unseen, jumped from the catwalk. No one actually saw the accident, but defendant’s employees were in the vicinity soon after; plaintiff was an extremely poor historian, and had a very bad memory of the events, making liability extremely difficult.
Plaintiff’s injuries included a fractured ankle with surgery, a fractured pelvis, compression fracture in the spine and a concussion.
The case failed to settle at a private mediation, but Bill Hepner was able to continue the negotiations he had begun, and ultimately was able to bring the case to a favorable conclusion, settling for $375,000.