A foundry worker was seriously injured when the chain of an electric hoist he was operating broke and a load of steel castings fell on him. The defendant inspection company claimed the chain was in good condition when they inspected it a week earlier.
Drake Exhibits first measured the accident site, equipment used with the hoist, and the broken chain, then created a scale working mock-up and determined that the "fork" the plaintiff was using at the time of the accident caused the most wear on the chain at exactly the link in the chain that failed. A scale model of the site with a working hoist and the equipment used to lift different types of loads was created. The chain was modeled using color coding to indicate different wear areas on the chain. A series of dimensioned graphics was also used to illustrate experts' measurements of wear areas on the chain.
The jury awarded the plaintiff $6.6 million, the second largest Massachusetts jury award in 1997.
for Taylor Gansen & Perrin, LLP
Boston, MA
Case reported in Mass Lawyers Weekly
