SETTLEMENT

Our clients wife was working in a factory that makes batteries. When the battery paper was running out, her supervisor taught her to thread the machine with new battery paper while the machine was running. While threading the machine with new battery paper, her hair became entangled in the moving parts of the machine pulling her scalp off her head causing her death. A wrongful death lawsuit was filed alleging the machine was negligently designed, the guard gates were recklessly left off the machine, and the machine was recklessly allowed to run while changing paper in order to produce more batteries. The company had been cited in the past for having the guard gate off in the exact location where the woman’s hair became entangled in the machine. In addition, employees testified the guard gate had been off on this occasion for quite some time and that management knew it. Lastly, the supervisor testified that he taught the employee to keep the machine running while changing the paper so there would be no down time and he could meet quota for the number of batteries to be produced each day. The damages sought included economic damages for the estate and pain and suffering damages for the woman’s husband and three children.