$650,000 Settlement for Construction Worker Injured by Work-Site Cave-in

• Attorney: David Fried
• Settlement: $650,000
• Practice Areas: Construction Accident, Unsafe Workplace, Trench Collapse

A Lodi construction worker employed by a New Jersey borough to install water pipes was injured in a trench collapse. He suffered fractures to his pelvis and hip, underwent multiple operations, still walks with a cane, and cannot work.

David Fried sued the borough as well as the engineer hired by the borough to monitor the pipe installation. The worker’s employer had a safety device on the job site, a steel trench box used to prevent such cave-ins, but it was not in use at the time of the accident. The borough and the engineer’s defense attorneys argued that the worker was experienced in such work, knew the safety device was present, and should have used it.

David successfully argued that the engineer was responsible for safety supervision and should not have permitted the plaintiff to perform his work without the safety device.

For more background on attorney David Fried, click here.