A Hillsborough County jury issued a $64.5 verdict in the case of a man who suffered an injury in a 2009 construction accident. The man was 25 years old at the time of the accident at Mosaic Co. He was reportedly working at a construction site, when suddenly a prefab building that weighed around 11,000 pounds collapsed on top of him, crushing his legs, pelvis and several internal organs.
It was determined that the accident was the result of vibrations in the ground after a train went by near the construction site. The building had apparently not been properly stabilized when it was constructed. Despite the odds, the victim both survived the accident and has walked again since it occurred. However, his physical condition will never be the same as it was beforehand.
The jury found that there were three different companies that shared responsibility for the accident, but most of the blame fell with Mosaic, a company operating throughout Central Florida that makes fertilizer. The other companies were Mark Ric Inc., the construction company that had been contracted to install the building on the site, and Semco Construction, a company contracted to prepare the construction site, which was located at a phosphate mine in Polk County.
Mosaic, which was found 75 percent responsible for the accident, already paid the victim an undisclosed sum to settle the case in 2014. Semco will be forced to pay the victim $10 million as part of the verdict. Semco has asked for the judge in the case to declare a mistrial, and want the judge to disqualify himself in the case.
If you or a loved one has been injured on the job, consult the experienced Bradenton injury lawyers at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez, Murphy & Walsh as soon as possible.