Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney Blog | Pomerantz Perlberger & Lewis LLP

The Connecticut Supreme Court overturned a $41.4 million jury award to a man paralyzed in a construction accident in 1994. The man was working on a construction site when a poorly welded steel beam broke loose and struck him, fracturing his spine and ribs. According to his attorney, the man is unable to move his limbs below his chest, but he can still feel the pain of his injury.

The man sued the general contractor on the site, Sardoni Skanska Construction Company, and in December 2005 received the $41.4 million award, which included $32.1 million in damages for the man and his wife, and the remainder in interest, attorney fees, and costs.

The man was only able to sue Sardoni Skanska after a 2003 Supreme Court ruling that decided employees of independent subcontractors could sue general contractors if they could establish a "legal and factual basis" for the general contractor's liability.

The key in this case is that the Connecticut Supreme Court decided that the beam was not the general contractor's responsibility, but the responsibility of subcontractor Berlin Steel Construction, which employed the injured worker, meaning that the man is only eligible for workers' compensation.

Liability in construction site injury cases can be very difficult and confusing. To make sure you properly navigate the perils of filing such a case, you need an experienced construction site injury lawyer. Contact Pomerantz, Perlberger, and Lewis, LLP, today, for a free initial consultation.