$1,450,000 Settlement for Amputation of Hand From Defective Product

Our client, a machine operator, was permanently disfigured when his hand  was amputated at the wrist after being crushed and burned while  operating a rubber injection-molding machine that produced rubber  fasteners. The product manufacturer, a German corporation, manufactured  the product without an interlocked safety guard on the rear of the  machine. After purchasing the product, the employer modified the machine  to remove the safety guard from the rear of the machine. While using  the product, the machine jammed. Our client tried to clear the jam by  switching the machine to manual mode and putting his hand in. He thought  that as long as the machine was on manual, it would not move unless he  pushed another button. As he cleared the jam, the unloading device  activated, and pulled his master hand into the machine, crushing and  subjecting it to heat so long it was literally baked and had to be  amputated at the wrist. We sued the German manufacturer of the product  on the theory that the product should have been manufactured with an  interlocked safety guard that could not be removed after the sale. There  also should have been warnings on the product to warn of the removal of  the guard. Working with a team of experts in product engineering which  involved guarding and hydraulic and pneumatic pressures, we were able to  establish the product defect. Following mediation the case resolved for  $1,450,000.00.