Shrager, Spivey & Sachs

Seven-Figure Recovery for Truck Driver Crushed by 90-Ton Crane

Managing partner Rob Sachs and Chris Bradley resolved a claim against a crane operator and crane owner for the death of a tractor trailer driver. The driver worked in a plant that manufactured multi-ton components for the construction industry. Materials were off-loaded from the driver’s truck by a crane. On the day of the incident, the crane was rented from an outside company. While off-loading the materials, the crane suddenly tipped onto its outriggers and collapsed. As the crane fell, the body of the crane hit the cab of the driver’s truck, crushing the cab and trapping the driver. The case was vigorously defended by the crane operator and his employer, the crane rental company. Both denied responsibility and challenged whether there was any legal basis for a finding or pain and suffering for the driver’s estate. Attorneys Sachs and Bradley retained two crane safety experts, one of the nation’s best forensic animators for a detailed recreation animation and worked with leading forensic pathologists to prove that the autopsy results confirmed the driver had tragically survived the initial crushing only to die of asphyxiation when the crushed roof prevented him from breathing. Attorneys Sachs and Bradley were able to settle the claim before trial for an undisclosed sum.

$360,000 Settlement for Electrician’s Fall from Lift-Truck

Wayne Spivey obtained a $360,000 settlement for an electrician who was severely injured while servicing traffic lights from a lift-truck. A large refrigerated truck struck the bottom of the lift-truck’s bucket, throwing the electrician 20 feet to the street. His head struck the roadway, fracturing his skull and rupturing a tendon in his wrist. The defendant denied liability and blamed the electrician for not wearing a harness while working aloft in the bucket. A miraculous recovery allowed him to return to work just eight months after the accident.