Injured Worker in Milford, MA Received a $200,000 Settlement in a Third-Party Negligence Claim

After a Milford, MA resident was injured on the job in an accident caused by a negligent third-party, a family member referred him to Framingham personal injury attorney Chuck Pappas for legal help. Attorney Pappas explained that this man had two separate injury claims. One was a Massachusetts workers’ compensation claim and the other was a third-party personal injury claim. This client hired Attorney Pappas, who secured a $200,000 settlement for the injuries this man suffered in the accident.

Worker Struck by a Trailer in a Work Zone in Milford, Massachusetts

On a November afternoon, our client, a 38-year-old married man and father of two minor children, began his day as any other. He reported to work in the morning and was working on the side of a road in Milford, Massachusetts. On this day, our client and his co-workers put out orange cones and had a dump truck parked on the side of the road. The cones were to direct traffic around the work zone and protect the workers.

While our client was working on the side of the road, a pick-up truck, towing a trailer, drove past the work-zone where our client was working. As the pick-up truck drove past the work-zone, the driver carelessly and negligently drove too close to the work truck and our client. The trailer being towed by the pick-up truck struck our client, knocked him to the ground, and ran over his lower left leg. Co-workers called 911 and the local Police and Fire Department responded to the accident scene. The paramedics evaluated our client for lower left leg injuries and transported him to the emergency department of the Milford Regional Medical Center.

This Worker Suffered a Serious Left Ankle Injury in the Accident

Our client sustained a significant injury to the cartilage and a fracture of the talus bone (a bone in the ankle). Our client ultimately required left ankle surgery. This injury and the surgery prevented our client from returning to work to earn his pay.

Following his surgery, this gentleman attended multiple rounds of physical therapy. He also had several cortisone injections and a Plasma-Rich Platelet (PRP) injection. These injections helped a little bit with his painful symptoms, but he continued to have difficulty walking and performing normal tasks. However, after extensive post-surgical treatment, our client recovered from his injuries and was able to return to work.

The Legal Action Taken to Obtain Compensation for Our Client

Since this worker was in the course of his employment at the time of the accident, he was eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. The workers’ compensation insurance company voluntarily paid our client temporary total disability benefits while he was out of work for his surgery and post-surgery recovery. They also paid all the medical bills.

Additionally, this client had a third-party negligence claim he pursued against the negligent driver that caused the accident. Our client incurred over $40,000 in medical bills for his surgery and treatment as well as over $30,000 in lost wages.

The driver of the pick-up truck told his auto insurance company that our client stepped out into traffic, which contributed to the accident. Thus, the third-party auto insurer for the pick-up truck argued that our client was 50% contributorily negligent and initially only offered a $60,000 settlement. However, Attorney Pappas’ accident investigation secured witness statements that completely contradicted the pick-up truck driver’s allegations. These witness statements and the photos of the accident scene were instrumental in getting our client the compensation he deserved.

After thorough settlement negotiations, the auto insurance company for the pick-up truck paid our client $200,000 to compensate him for his injuries and financial losses.

Since our client received workers’ compensation benefits, the workers’ comp insurance company had a lien on his third-party negligence claim. Attorney Pappas was successful in getting a significant reduction in the workers’ compensation lien, which provided our client much more of the settlement proceeds.

Our client was extremely happy with Attorney Pappas’ efforts and work on this case. He said that Attorney Pappas “was great….and I would tell everyone to call him if I was asked. So grateful for his time and efforts.”