Recently in Negligence Category

Tuesday's record-setting 82.5 million dollar verdict in Harris country for the death of a single man killed by a Cleburne natural gas explosion could be the beginning of a trend.

Houston explosion attorney Rob Ammons believes some juries are doing what federal regulators can't do, hitting big business where it hurts when they don't prioritize worker and environmental safety over profits.

"In the wake of two recent Texas natural gas line explosions and the spill in the Gulf, I believe people are sick and tired of the mess," says Houston explosion attorney Rob Ammons. "When companies prioritize profits over responsibility, safety and respect for the environment, I think juries are going to push back in the only way they can -- by awarding precedent-setting verdicts for hard working claimants."

Joshua Wade Petrie, 27, was attempting to start a hot oil heater May 25, 2007, when the heater exploded. A day later the man died, leaving behind a widow, Candee Petrie, and three minor children. Mr. Petrie's father, Mark Petrie, was also a claimant.

Petrie's attorneys, Rob Ammons and Bennett Midlo of the Houston-based Ammons Law Firm argued in court the natural gas processing plant and its equipment were negligently refurbished, as Hanover had agreed to do.

"Hanover Compression sold the gas processing plant in Hood County to Quicksilver Resources in March of 2005," says Ammons. " Hanover was supposed to fully refurbish the plant and the hot oil heater. Hanover failed to refurbish and upgrade the heater to the applicable current industry standards and that is what caused the explosion."

The trial in Judge Robert Schaffer's Harris County Judicial District Court #152 encompassed the three-year anniversary of Petrie's death.

Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.  Rob Ammons' law practice, The Ammons Law Firm, is located in Houston, Texas.  The Ammons Law Firm practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as: tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers and workplace negligence.

The May 2009 collapse of a Dallas Cowboys practice facility was caused by the structure's faulty design, poor workmanship and a failure to disclose that the building was out of compliance with building codes, according to two lawsuits filed by The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson on behalf of injured Cowboys' scouting assistant Richard Behm and special teams coach Joe DeCamillis.

Mr. Behm and Mr. DeCamillis and several others were injured at the Valley Ranch practice facility during a thunderstorm on May 2 when the roof of the structure split open, causing heavy steel supports to crumple and fall. Mr. Behm was paralyzed from the waist down when his spine was severed by falling debris, and Mr. DeCamillis suffered a serious compression fracture with dislocation of a cervical vertebrae.

The lawsuits charge that the building's faulty tent-like design presented a safety hazard, and that poor workmanship and improper use of building materials caused the structure to be inadequately secured to its concrete foundation. According to the lawsuits, the building designer was aware of the safety problems but performed only a partial temporary repair and represented to the Cowboys that the design defaults had been permanently and adequately repaired.

The defendants include building manufacturer Summit Structures LLC of Allentown, Pa.; marketer and distributor Cover-All Building Systems Inc. of Saskatoon, Canada; engineer Scott Jacobs and engineering services company JCI Holding LLC of Las Vegas; construction contractor Midwest Building and Fencing Inc. of South Haven, Minn.; construction materials supplier Hilti Inc. of Tulsa, Okla.; and concrete contractor Wrangler Concrete Construction LP of Burleson, Texas.

"What we've learned in our investigation is that this tragedy simply did not have to happen," says attorney Frank Branson, lead counsel for Mr. Behm and Mr. DeCamillis. "Our clients would never have been injured if the building had been constructed properly, if repairs were performed as promised, or if those responsible had made any of these shortcomings known. Putting people in this building as it was designed and built was a recipe for disaster."

The lawsuits charge the defendants with negligence and gross negligence and seek unspecified damages, including past and future medical treatment and loss of earning capacity for Mr. Behm and Mr.DeCamillis.

The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson represents clients in cases involving complex product liability, catastrophic injury, commercial air crashes, professional negligence, and business torts. To learn more about Mr. Branson and his firm, visit http://www.flbranson.com.