Factory machinery is no joke, especially when it comes to large-scale farming operations. Even one misstep could cause a serious accident. When an essential piece of machinery like a rotating “milking parlor” is installed wrong, serviced wrong, and used wrong, it’s only a matter of time before catastrophe hits. No one knows this better than one dairy company employee who found herself trapped in the machinery as it dragged her across a cement ledge.
A hard-working mother of young children, the woman had been using her phone’s flashlight to help a coworker fix part of the milking parlor. As she backed up to accommodate the running machinery, she ran directly into a large cement step and fell onto the ground. Her left leg became tangled up in the machine, which dragged her across the cement ledge. The accident caused a severe tearing-shearing injury to her left leg as well as a complex bone fracture in her tibia. Her employer, however, couldn’t care less.
The woman called Attorney Dean Boyd to take on her case. The way the woman’s employer ignored her in the wake of the accident horrified him. Sadly, the poor treatment worsened once they learned she planned to sue, resorting to intimidation and harassment. As Dean looked into the case, he realized that it wasn’t just the company that was at fault. The machine’s manufacturer, the installers, and the repair team that serviced the parlor all had a hand in creating the dangerous circumstances that led to the Plaintiff’s injury.
Dean knew he wanted to get an animation of the accident the moment he took on the case. He knew it was the only way to eliminate any confusion around causation. Indeed, Dean himself felt he needed an animation to understand what had happened. Dean contacted DK Global to help depict what happened to his client. While the language barrier with his Spanish-speaking client posed a challenge, Dean, the Plaintiff, and DK Global successfully collaborated with the treating surgeons until the animation was perfect.
The video began by indicating the site of the accident on a map. It depicted the Plaintiff under the milking parlor, holding a phone light up to the center of the machine. She then walked backward directly into a cement step, where she fell over. In the fall, her leg caught on a pipe from the machine that rotated around the parlor, and she was dragged along the step. Next, the video depicted the Plaintiff’s deep leg wounds and fractures. A photograph of the Plaintiff’s leg appeared beside the animation, validating their accuracy. A skeletal view revealed the grisly fracture the accident caused. Then, the animation showed the Plaintiff’s surgeries, which included the placement of pins, 6- and 5-hole clamps, external fixators, Biomet plates on either side of her tibia, and a plethora of screws. Finally, the presentation showed a cross-section of the woman’s leg in which at least 13 screws were visibly drilled into the bones.
Dean showed the animation to the Defense. Their faces cringed as they watched the 3D recreation of the accident, the injuries, and the surgeries. From that moment, Dean knew the video had done its job. Initially, none of the liable parties came to the table willing to settle. However, Dean secured his client a seven-figure settlement and proved to the woman’s employer that she was not someone who could be ignored and intimidated.
Dean Boyd of the self-named firm Attorney Dean Boyd is a personal injury lawyer practicing out of Amarillo, Lubbock, and Albuquerque. Dean worked as an insurance adjuster before he began his 33-year tenure as a personal injury lawyer. He now serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Dean gives back to his community in his free time by working with organizations like Brothers Big Sisters, Family Support Services, Martha's Home, and The High Plains Food Bank.
