$800,000 Settlement – “Degloving” Injury

• Date: Spring 1995
• Attorney: Ronald Goldfaden
• Settlement: $800,000
• Practice Areas: Product Liability, Dangerous Machine, Hazardous Work Environment

A 47-year-old foreman at the Peerless Tube Company lost two fingers and half of his thumb in 1991 when he attempted to check the condition of rollers on moving machinery that activated during a cleaning inspection.

The foreman had seven surgeries following the machinery accident, which could have been prevented with an interlock device. His “degloving” injury prevents physical labor and affects his personal life by hindering his dressing and performing household tasks. He also suffers from frequent nightmares, flashbacks and a loss of self-esteem.

During a three day trial Blume Donnelly principal Ron Goldfaden successfully argued that his client was injured when a co-employee inadvertently failed to replace the guard on the machine after it had been cleaned. The guard should have been interlocked to the machine so as to protect it from re-starting if the guard was not in place.

Goldfaden negotiated the $800,000 settlement after the judge allowed him to present photographs of the injury.