Jury Awards BP Workers $100 Million in Lawsuit
On December 18, a federal jury Friday awarded more than $100 million to 10 workers who claimed they were injured in 2007 when a toxic substance was released at BP PLC’s Texas City plant.
According to an article by the Associated Press, the jurors in Galveston, TX gave each contract worker $10 million in punitive damages. Nine of the workers were also awarded between $5,000 and $10,000 for pain and suffering and medical expenses, while the 10th got more than $240,000.
BP denied it had harmed any of the workers. They also rejected a proposal to settle for $10,000 for each worker.
The refinery was the site of a 2005 explosion that killed 15 people and injured 170, the worst U.S. industrial accident since 1990.
The refinery has a history of fires, chemical releases, and worker deaths.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board found that bad management at the plant and cost-cutting moves by BP were factors in the explosion.
In October, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration imposed a record $87 million fine against BP for failing to correct safety hazards after the 2005 blast.
The workers’ lawsuit claimed that in April 2007, more than 100 contract employees at the plant were sent to hospitals after claiming they were exposed to a toxic substance released at the refinery.
The workers said their injuries included dizziness and sore throats, with one employee passing out, after inhaling the substance.
Any worker who has sustained an injury arising out of and in the course of their employment has a potential workers’ compensation claim. The injury can occur while traveling on business, doing a work-related errand, attending a required business-related social function, or even while on a break or using restroom facilities and you are still legally covered by workers compensation.
A worker injured on the job would be well advised to contact an experienced worker’s compensation attorney who can carefully examine the incident to identify any negligence or wrongdoing. An experienced attorney would also look into a “third party claim.” These are claims that are filed against parties that are not the worker’s employer. It could be a contractor, a sub-contractor, or even the manufacturer of a defective product. If it is determined that one of those parties was responsible for the accident and any injuries, then they could be held liable.
The dedicated PA work injury lawyers at Cherry, Fieger, & Marciano will do everything possible to get the monetary compensation that is owed to you to help pay medical bills, physical therapy, loss of work and more.
Source article: http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/business/20091218_ap_juryawardsbpworkers100millioninlawsuit.html
