$19M Forklift Construction Accident
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Las Vegas Forklift Accident Jury Verdict Over $19M Obtained by
Shook & Stone Plaintiff Attorneys
Source: Courtroom View Network
Las Vegas plaintiff lawyers John Shook and David Romanow of the Nevada personal injury law firm of Shook & Stone helped injured worker Tom Novick obtain a $19,854,217 jury verdict. The case, Liberty Mutual Insurance v. Nielsen, Panelized Structures,began on April 20, 2011 and ended on May 12, 2011.
Mr. Novick was run over by a 14,000+ pound Sky-Trak 5028 rough terrain forklift in a Las Vegas construction accident while working for Panelized Structures on September 1, 2004. Mr. Novick’s supervisor, Floyd Nielsen, who was 74-years-old when the accident occurred and had retired ten years before, pinned Mr. Novick underneath the forklift’s tires as he was parking it. The forklift then slowly rolled backwards across Mr. Novick’s whole body.
The forklift construction accident in Nevada caused Mr. Novick to suffer multiple catastrophic injuries, some of which include serious pain, loss of his spleen, two amputations of his right leg, permanent brain damage, and other injuries that resulted in complete disability. Elizabeth Foley, who represented plaintiff Liberty Mutual Insurance, stated during trial that Panelized Structures did not practice an adequate dedication to safety. In addition, Mr. Shook also stated that the forklift driver was the brother-in-law of Panelized Structures’ owner and was given a promotion as safety director after the most serious injury in company history had occurred. It was also asserted that Panelized Structures failed to train temporary workers and also failed to respond to the devastating forklift accident with a proper safety advisory or incident report.
At the end of trial, Shook & Stone helped Mr. Novick receive a jury award that included compensation for past medical expenses of approximately $1.5 million, future medical expenses of approximately $7 million, past lost earning capacity of approximately $171,000, future lost earning capacity of approximately $514,000, past pain and suffering of approximately $2.6 million, and future pain and suffering of approximately $7.9 million.
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