$2.9 Million Settlement for Truck Driver Injured by Falling Warehouse Door
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on February 15th, 2013
A truck driver who was seriously injured when a large piece from an overhead warehouse door struck him in the head while he waited for the door to be opened has reached a $2.9 million damage settlement in the case.
The truck driver, Carlos Ramos, a produce delivery truck driver working for J.L. Cruz Transportation, had backed his truck up to the loading dock of the Procacci Brothers produce warehouse in South Philadelphia on June 26, 2010 when the incident occurred, according to a Feb. 5 story in The Legal Intelligencer.
As Ramos, who was 35 years old at the time, waited for the overhead door to be unlocked and opened by a warehouse employee, a large section of the door “came off its tracks and fell, striking Ramos on the head,” the story reported.
A similar incident allegedly had occurred previously with the same door, striking a Procacci Brothers manager, according to the story.
After being struck by the door part, Ramos went to Nazareth Hospital that day, “complaining of a headache, a laceration and a hematoma on the right side of his head,” and was diagnosed with a concussion, according to the report.
In the weeks and months that followed, the victim “continued to suffer from headaches, dizziness and an inability to focus,” the story reported, and he went to see a neurologist “who determined that Ramos was suffering from depression, anxiety, forgetfulness, disorientation and head and neck pain, possibly associated with his injury.”
The patient went to see another doctor who “determined he was suffering from the late effects of a traumatic brain injury,” according to a plaintiff’s memorandum in the case.
Continued testing over the next year determined that Ramos “was continuing to suffer post-concussive symptoms” that were found to be related to the original injury, the story reported. He was found to have suffered a “white matter lesion” on a section of his brain due to the injury, which was seen as a chronic condition emanating from the incident.
The victim was left unable to work as a result of the door injury, his doctors told the court. His future lost earnings due to the accident were estimated between $2 million to $5.5 million, according to the story.
The settlement was reached on Jan. 7.
Workplace injuries are very common across the United States and can instantly change the lives of their victims in dramatic and financially catastrophic ways.
We here at MyPhillyLawyer stand ready to assist you with your legal case if you or someone you love is ever seriously injured in a worksite, workplace or construction accident anywhere in the United States. At MyPhillyLawyer, you can consult with a qualified, experienced and compassionate attorney to explore all of your legal rights.
We represent the families of victims who die in such tragedies as well, to ensure that their families receive every penny of damages that they are eligible to receive.
Call MyPhillyLawyer at 215-227-2727 or toll-free at 1-(866) 352-4572 anytime and our experienced, compassionate, aggressive team of attorneys and support staff will be there for you and your family every step of the way as we manage your case through the legal system.
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