Featured Case: Insurers Pursued in Major Construction Accident Claims
Campbell Trial Lawyers, representing the interests of named-party defendants and third-party defendants, and the interest of primary and excess insurers, have played a significant role in a number of high profile construction accident cases in the Boston area.
Collapse of Mast-Climbing Scaffolding
When a cantilevered scaffolding system collapsed during construction of a new dorm for Emerson College in downtown Boston, two of the workers were killed as was a young neurology resident who was in his car below on the way home from work. A pedestrian also sustained severe personal injuries. Numerous plaintiffs filed claims in this case and the amount of potential damages was considerable. As monitoring counsel acting on behalf of the excess carrier for the general contractor for the project, Campbell Trial Lawyers were heavily involved in every aspect of the case. Our team attended all court appearances and depositions and participated in mediations. We also worked closely with assigned counsel assisting with witness preparation, expert retention, and trial preparation.
Collapse of Foundation Wall
In a construction project on Russian Wharf in Boston, there was an historic 8-story building whose brick façade had to be maintained and incorporated into the new construction. Although the rest of the building had been torn down, the façade was held up by an intricate system of supports during the construction process. The project proceeded by an up/down construction method, whereby construction on the above- and below-ground sections of the building occurs simultaneously. During excavation of the more than 100-year old foundation beneath the 8-story façade part of the incomplete foundation wall collapsed and killed one of the workers. Campbell Trial Lawyers represented the worker’s employer who was brought into the case as a third-party defendant under a contractual indemnification claim.
Collapse of Gantry System
The owners of a ship gantry crane system wanted the entire structure cleared from the site. The structure spanned two adjacent towns and the owners obtained approval from one town to bring the gantry system down by explosive demolition, and did so successfully with the portion of the structure sited in that town. The other town, however, did not grant such approval and an alternative method of removal was necessary. During manual demolition, the remaining portion of the gantry system collapsed, killing and severely injuring a number of workers. As monitoring counsel on behalf of the excess insurer we were again very heavily involved in almost every aspect of this case. Once the underlying policy was exhausted, we took over the defense and secured favorable settlements on behalf of our client.
