When safety is not prioritized during construction projects, thousands of construction-related injuries and deaths occur each year at the expense of innocent, hard workers.
In 2013, an Illinois-based construction company failed to provide a safe working environment, resulting in the death of a construction worker. The workers were tasked with a late-night renovation of the exterior of a restaurant, and as they began to chip away at the wall, cinderblocks and bricks that were not mortared in place collapsed onto two workers, resulting in a serious injury and one fatality. Attorneys Joseph Power, Sean M. Houlihan, and James Power of Power Rogers, LLP represented the family of the decedent after hearing of the construction company’s negligence in creating and inspecting the structure of the building. The three attorneys sought justice and brought together their experts and DK Global to create a presentation that showed the construction company’s critical shortcomings in securing the framework.
The presentation begins with a lateral view of the interior of the wall, showing the viewers the loose layers of brick and steel rods on top of each other. Then, the camera pans to a view of the exterior of the wall, showing cinderblocks dangerously placed on top of the free-floating parapet. With the scene laid out, the crux of the incident reveals that the construction company never hired a professional engineer to conduct a mandated survey of the structure and ensure it was safe for their workers. Finally, the animation depicts the inevitable - workers operating heavy machinery chip away at the exterior of the building, resulting in the collapse of the structure and killing an innocent employee.
With the detailed presentation in hand, the three attorneys were able to secure an $8.1 Million settlement for the decedent’s surviving family.
The attorneys at Power Rogers, LLP have won more than $4 billion in verdicts and settlements for their clients. Notably, Joseph Power and James Power obtained a verdict of $95,477,464.00, reduced 10% to $85,929,717.60 for contributory negligence for a plaintiff who lost both of his legs when he was working as a truck driver, and the cargo he was transporting fell onto him. This is the largest personal injury verdict in Illinois history for a contested liability case. The day after obtaining that verdict, Joseph Power, Larry Rogers, Jr., and James Power set out on another complex trial and obtained a verdict of $33.4 Million for their clients in a negligent security case against Allied Barton. Recently, Joe, Sean, and James obtained a $20.5 Million verdict in a products liability case for a 70-year old man with a closed head injury.
Sean M. Houlihan is a partner with the Chicago personal injury law firm of Power Rogers Since joining the law firm in May 2002, Mr. Houlihan has successfully represented families and individuals in personal injury litigation, including medical malpractice, aviation accident laws, premises liability, and automobile liability matters.
