Jury Orders Florida Company to Pay $10 Million in Damages in Lawsuit

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on September 18, 2012

A jury in Missouri has awarded an injured man $10 million in a lawsuit stemming from an electrocution accident that left him badly injured. In July 2008, the man was working on a heat pump manufactured by FHP Manufacturing Co. in Tallahassee, Fla., when he came in contact with an exposed wire on the pump. The contact sent at least 480 volts through the man’s body, knocking him from a ladder and badly injuring him. The man and his personal injury attorney filed a lawsuit against FHP Manufacturing in Jackson County Circuit Court after the accident, and the jury recently awarded him $9.97 million in damages.

The jury found that the victim was 40 percent responsible for the accident and determined that FHP Manufacturing was 60 percent at fault. The lawsuit claimed that the electricity threw the victim from the ladder he had climbed to reach the pump, causing him to fall and strike a table as he fell, leading to multiple rib fractures and a lacerated spleen that had to be surgically removed.

Attorneys for FHP Manufacturing stated that the victim was at fault for the accident since he had left the pump connected to the power supply while he worked on it. The victim’s personal injury attorney countered this assertion, saying that leaving the pump connected to electricity was sometimes necessary to troubleshoot problems. He also said that a design change in the pump caused the wire to be exposed, creating a serious safety threat that led to his client being electrocuted. The attorney claimed that earlier versions of the pump had a cover over the electrical panel that would have prevented his client from coming into contact with the exposed wire.

There were many other factors that the jury took into consideration when determining damages, but this case provides some insight into the intricacies of product liability cases. The victim’s personal injury lawyer must carefully construct a case that involves extensive research into the defective product’s design and manufacture. They must then determine if their client was injured due to a design flaw, a flaw in the manufacturing process, a failure to warn users about potential dangers and many other considerations.

As you might guess, not every personal injury attorney has the skills, experience and resources to build an effective product liability case. In order to help a client receive the compensation they deserve, an attorney must take a great deal of time, research and money to prepare a case that will convince a jury or persuade the other side to settle the matter out of court.

Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham has more than 35 years of experience building effective product liability cases for clients and has a proven record of success through court awards and settlements. If you were injured by a defective product and would like to speak with a Florida product liability attorney, call 800-425-2004 to schedule a free consultation.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.