$7,400,000 Settlement for Worker with Injuries Requiring a Spinal Cord Stimulator Implant

Our client was working on a renovation project in New York when he fell and suffered serious injuries to his shoulder, knee, and lower back, requiring arthroscopic surgeries and a lumbar spinal fusion surgery. Unfortunately, his spine surgery failed to relieve his back pain and he ultimately required a spinal cord stimulator implanted surgically. Despite a very vigorous defense that questioned each of his injuries, our firm was able to secure a $7.4 million settlement for the client.

Court and County
Supreme Court, Kings County

Accident Description
Our client was a union sheet metal worker who was working on the roof of a store in Brooklyn undergoing a renovation. He was standing on a steel beam on the roof, trying to unscrew the panel of an HVAC unit. He lost his balance and fell down to the roof, a distance of about 3 feet. We claimed that the beam was too narrow and failed to provide proper protection to our client. We moved for summary judgment and won, convincing the Court that the accident was the fault of the defendant owner and general contractor for violating Labor Law Section 240(1).

If you suffered spinal or other serious injuries after an accident, it’s important to understand your legal rights. To speak with an experienced injury attorney, please call 212-736-5300.

Injury Summary
Our client landed on his left side. While he was able to quickly get up on his own and continue working for a brief time after his fall, he left work early. Three days later, he saw his doctor and began complaining of pain to his neck, low back, left shoulder and left knee. He began a course of treatment including physical therapy and multiple injections, which failed to relieve his pain. As such, he underwent arthroscopic surgeries to his left shoulder and left knee, and then a lumbar surgery involving fusion of his spine at the L5/S1 level. That spine surgery, which was performed over 2 separate days, also unfortunately failed to relieve his back pain. As such, a spinal cord stimulator was implanted surgically, which did provide him some relief.

Our client was never able to return to his sheet metal work following the accident. We made claims on his behalf for substantial damages including lost earnings and benefits, future medical costs, pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. Despite a vigorous defense involving multiple defense expert physicians questioning each of our client’s injuries, we were able to secure a settlement of $7,400,000 prior to any scheduled trial date.

Handling Attorneys
This case was handled by firm Partners Stephen J. Murphy and David L. Scher.

New York Lawyers Skilled in Litigating Spinal Cord Injury Cases

If you’ve suffered spinal injuries as a result of a work-related accident, car crash, or other serious accident, it’s important to understand your legal rights by speaking with a qualified injury attorney. You may be entitled to recover compensation for your pain and suffering, medical bills, lost wages, and more.

Select cases for clients who required a spinal cord stimulator after a serious accident include:

• $7,000,000 settlement for a carpenter who required a cervical spinal cord stimulator to help alleviate his neck pain after an on-the-job accident
• $5,500,000 settlement for a worker who required a spinal cord stimulator implanted after he was hurt in a work-related accident
• $3,400,000 recovery for an auto accident victim who required the use of a spinal cord stimulator for four hours each day

To learn more about our law firm’s results for clients who suffered spinal injuries, visit our Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys page.