This case has settled under semi confidentiality agreements. Names and parties involved have been changed to protect their privacy. The incident happened in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was filed in Cook County, Illinois.
A journeyman plumber was in the basement of a Salt Lake City high rise testing plumbing lines. While up on a ladder testing a pressurized pipe fitting, an end-cap blew off the fitting, instantly releasing pressure and knocking him off the ladder and to the ground. The plumber sustained an ankle fracture and was off work for three months. He luckily was able to return to work full-duty.
The defendant manufactures pipes and fittings in the US for commercial use, but this particular part was imported, rather than manufactured, in a US factory.
Whether or not the pipe was deemed defective was put into question
- Our team found significant porosity, a casting defect that reduces the integrity of the metal.
- Additionally, the threads securing the pressurized cap were poorly shaped due to a manufacturing defect at the point of its creation.
It takes a technically advanced team to uncover the evidence in a defective product, such as a pressurized pipe fitting. The porous metal and the poorly machined threads where crucial pieces of evidence to secure $600,000 for our client.
The plumber was represented by Cronauer Law. The manufacturer agreed to settle with the plumber for $600,000 due to the injury sustained from the fall off the ladder.