Jury Awards $5.4 Million to Man Injured in Construction Accident
By Danielle Briones
Published on July 22, 2005
The incident that led to the injuries occurred on Sept. 22, 1999, while Felicien Sanchez, 52, was working in the plant. Sanchez' attorney, Locke Meredith, said the injury occurred when ITEQ Tank Services was testing a 3-inch PVC pipe. During the testing, the pipe and a metal spigot exploded, sending debris flying.
Some of the flying debris struck Sanchez in the left side of the forehead, fracturing bones in his face and causing his brain to bleed.
Dead brain cells in the injured area left behind a hole in Sanchez' brain, Meredith said.
Doctors testified during the trail that Sanchez' injuries will affect him permanently. Sanchez was "rendered childlike", Meredith said, and will have the mental and emotional capacity of a 10 year old.
Before the trial began, ITEQ admitted they had been negligent in the way it tested the pipe, because they did not clear away people while the tests were being performed, Meredith said.
The trial was held to determine the extent of Sanchez' injuries and to award damages.
$3 million of the verdict is to cover future medical and personal care expenses. The jury also awarded $325,000 for disability and impairment; $325,000 for physical pain and suffering; $325,000 for mental pain and anguish; $71,000 for past medical expenses; $685,390 for lost earnings; $325,000 for lost enjoyment of life; and $300,000 to Sanchez' wife, Violet, for loss of consortium.
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