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Galfand Berger Secures $3,000,000 Recovery in Train Fatality
Case Summary:
Galfand Berger products liability attorney Rick Jurewicz obtained a $3 million recovery in a case involving a worker who was killed in a railcar accident at a Coatesville, Pennsylvania steel mill.
Our client, a brakeman at the facility, slipped and fell from a railcar. He was dragged by the railcar and suffered fatal injuries, including a crushed skull.
After an exhaustive investigation, Rick learned that the railcar, owned by Arcelor Mittal, lacked federally mandated safety features, like grab bars, hand-holds and foot stirrups. Moreover, Rick’s investigation revealed that other Arcelor Mittal steel mills had similar railcars, all of which were equipped with these basic safety devices. Additionally, Rick discovered that Arcelor Mittal discontinued the practice of conducting quarterly safety inspections of their railcars and removing those from service that had damaged or missing safety equipment.
Astonishingly — even in light of all these defects — Arcelor Mittal encouraged workers to mount and ride these unsafe railcars. In fact, during his investigation, Mr. Jurewicz discovered that Arcelor Mittal had a Rail Safety Policy that stated it was permissible and expected to mount railcars while they were in motion as long as workers did so at walking speed!
Tragically, it was not until AFTER our client’s death that Arcelor Mittal fixed these defects by adding the missing safety devices and restarting its quarterly inspections program.
Outcome:
As a result of Arcelor Mittal’s unsafe railcars and its flawed policies and procedures, Mr. Jurewicz resolved this matter before trial (and at mediation) for $3,000,000.
Galfand Berger has been representing catastrophically injured clients and their families for over 65 years and has a long history of raising the bar for obtaining verdicts and settlements in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
If you or someone you know has been injured, please call Galfand Berger toll free at 1-800-222-USWA (8792) to speak with Mr. Jurewicz or email him at [email protected].