Worker Hit By Falling Pipe Casing Awarded $11 Million
Eliazar Trevino Jr. And his family received a healthy $11 million in compensation for an accident where Trevino was hit by a pipe casing. An Ector County jury awarded the $11 million to Trevino, who was injured in a Goldsmith oilfield accident, after a week-long civil injury trial. The Odessa American reported a story about the case.
Trevino was injured when a pipe casing fell from an oil field elevator, ripping out nerves from his shoulder and neck. The accident happened in September 2009. Trevino sued M&M Elevator Company, blaming the accident on a malfunctioning elevator.
Trevino’s attorneys said in their opening statements that the pipe casing fell, because the elevator malfunctioned.
The attorneys working the defense of M&M Elevator Company said the elevator had been checked that same say, and that it was improperly latched by oilfield workers. The attorneys also added that Trevino should not have been under the elevator anyway, regardless of what caused the pipe casing to fall.
According to verdict forms, the jury found that the elevator was defective, but there was no negligence from M&M Elevator that would have directly caused the accident. The jury awarded $9.8 million to Trevino, with an additional $1 million in exemplary damages to him and his family. His family also received $480,000, because Trevino’s injury prevented him from fulfilling his parental duties
It does not take a falling pipe casing to injure you, but if you or a loved are injured because of someone else’s actions, you should contact a skilled personal injury attorney as soon as possible. An experienced New Braunfels personal injury attorney can help you build your case. Get the help you deserve, and contact our offices today.
