Texas jurors order Caterpillar to pay $54.2 million to injured worker

The world’s largest manufacturer of bulldozers has been ordered to pay $54.2 to a worker paralyzed in a tractor accident in Texas.  The manufacturer, Caterpillar Inc., and one of its distributors, Holt Texas Ltd., will have to pay the worker after failing to inform the worker about defects in the company’s tractor and after failing to properly maintain the machinery.

Caterpillar is being held responsible for 90 percent of the jury awarded actual damages of $15,860,368; Holt Texas has been asked to pay the remaining 10 percent.  In addition to actual damages the jury ordered Caterpillar to pay the injured man and his family $40 million in punitive damages; Holt Texas must pay $500,000.

Alfonso Lopez, 38, was injured while operating a 623 G Wheel Tractor Scraper at a construction site in Little Elm, Texas.  Lopez was injured when the scraper began shaking violently, causing his vertebrae to fracture, leading to permanent paralysis below the waist.  He also suffered from a punctured lung.  Lopez was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident.

When a “black box” installed in the scraper was examined after the incident, it revealed that several mechanical malfunctions had led to the shaking and bucking incident.  The incident could have been prevented, it was alleged, if proper maintenance had been performed in a timely manner.

Texas workers injured on-the-job deserve compensation for their injuries.  If you were hurt in a workplace accident, don’t let your employer or their insurance company cheat you out of fair compensation.  Contact the aggressive and skilled Texas workers compensation lawyers at Vujasinovic & Beckcom today.