Ken Elwood Obtains $1.95 Million Work Injury Settlement

(Chatham, NJ) – The New Jersey Law Journal recently reported on a $1.95 million settlement obtained by Kenneth Elwood stemming from a work accident where a woman almost lost her arm. Elwood is an attorney with Blume, Forte, Fried, Zerres & Molinari in Chatham, N.J.

In the case, Jones v. Jim’s Soft Pretzel Bakery, 41-year-old Loretta Jones was cleaning the dough machine at her place of employment, a soft pretzel bakery in Manville, N.J. In order to clean the machine, Jones balanced herself on a table and reached into the machine’s opening while it was running on a low setting to scrape away bits of dried dough. However, when she lost her balance, her left hand became caught in the gears and her arm was pulled in up to her elbow.

While her arm was surgically reattached, she “sustained crushed bones and torn ligaments that required multiple surgeries – including implantation of hardware, bone grafts and plastic surgeries,” according to the January 31, 2017 article. Jones was deemed totally disabled by the U.S. Social Security Administration due to her ongoing pain and limitations.

While the defense claimed that the plaintiff was not adhering to proper procedure, Jones maintained that she was, in fact, following the cleaning instructions she had been given. Additionally, OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Administration) noted a violation on the part of the bakery in the lack of a fixed ladder platform. The suit named the bakery’s owner and franchisee, as well as the manufacturers of the machine.

“[The defendants] attempted to impose a workers’ compensation bar, but the motion was denied,” reported the article. The suit was settled in favor of the plaintiff for $1.95 million on Nov. 29, 2016.

Ken Elwood is Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney. As a Partner at the firm, he handles a wide range of personal injury matters, including medical malpractice, nursing home malpractice, products liability, automobile and premises liability cases.

Founded in New Jersey in 1929, Blume Forte, Fried, Zerres & Molinari is a law firm specializing in personal injury, including vehicular accidents, workplace injuries, medical malpractice, defective products, premises injuries, and more. Blume Forte attorneys have obtained verdicts and settlements as high as $46.7 million for clients, and the firm is consistently listed among the top personal injury award-winning firms in the state. Blume Forte has locations in Chatham, Jersey City, North Bergen and Sea Girt, N.J. For more information, visit www.njatty.com.