October 2020
BROWNWOOD, Texas – In one of the state’s first in-person jury trials in the past seven months, a Brown County jury on Friday awarded $1.95 million for injuries suffered by a worker who fell 11 feet through an unmarked opening onto a concrete floor.
The 67-year old worker was performing an asbestos inspection on the first floor of the Texas Department of Transportation administrative offices in Brownwood on August 20, 2017, when he walked onto a sheet of thin polyplastic covering that could not support his weight. The worker suffered multiple shattered ribs, a punctured lung and diaphragm as well as a shattered clavicle, from the fall. He continues to suffer ongoing pain from his injuries after more than three years.
The jury found Fast Solutions Environmental, an asbestos abatement company based in Duncanville, Texas, responsible for 90 percent of the negligence associated with the incident, while holding the plaintiff responsible for 10 percent.
“We want to thank the members of the jury and the court for their diligence in creating and maintaining a safe setting to conduct this trial, which was so important,” said Jud Waltman of Houston’s Lanier Law Firm. “While many individuals are faced with unfortunate and understandable delays in having their day in court due to COVID, we were determined to see justice done.”