According to a November 7 notice to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, three companies agreed to pay $24.1 million to compensate a construction worker, who became "infant-like" after suffering a brain injury at the construction of the Conshohocken Rowing Center.
The plaintiffs' counsel stated the settlement involved $16 million insurance policy by C. Raymond Davis & Sons Inc., $6 million policy by subcontractor Budget Maintenance, and a $2.1 million by Accelerated Fire Protection, another subcontractor involved in the project. The construction worker whose job involved caulking came under a drop ceiling tile and fell about 15 feet followed by another 15 feet fall down a concrete staircase. Court papers filed by his family stated the disaster left him in a semi-conscious state, leaving him unable to walk, communicate, or take care of himself. In his pretrial memo, plaintiff mentioned neither C. Raymond Davis nor Budget Maintenance made any safety accommodations like scaffolding.
A similar lawsuit was filed in 2015 by the plaintiff in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where the victim suffered from serious brain damage post an accident. The plaintiff was riding his bicycle when he was hit by the truck's mirror that resulted in an imbalance leading him to crash. He received a settlement of $9.1 million, which is the largest ever in the history of bicycle-related verdicts of Los Angeles. Caltrans and the city of Los Angeles will settle the lawsuit where Caltrans will 40% penalty and the city will pay 60% of the penalty.
