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February 17, 2014

$17M settlement after worker killed by falling crane hook

Latest posts by Atlantic Research Team (see all)

Three companies have agreed to settle a lawsuit for $17 million in connection with the death of an electrician who was struck by an iron hook that fell from a crane.

Adam Nowak was installing electrical equipment at Veolia Energy’s Schuykill Stream Plant in Philadelphia when a crane hook fell about 60 feet, striking and killing him.

Nowak’s widow sued Veolia and two other companies. The couple had two young children, and Nowak had three children from a previous marriage.

One of the lawsuit’s claims was that Veolia had “reckless disregard for the safety of its employees and on-site contractors.”

The lawsuit claimed Veolia was negligent for failing to:

The lawsuit also claimed Permadur Industries failed to properly inspect and repair the crane as it was contracted to do.

Kenny Industries, a contractor, was also included as a party in the lawsuit for being responsible for job site safety.

The plaintiff’s (Nowak’s) pretrial memorandum stated:

All three companies agreed to contribute to the $17 million settlement: $15 million from Veolia, $1.5 million from Permadur and $500,000 from Kenny.

An attorney for Nowak’s widow said he believed a jury would have awarded more than $17 million, but Michele Nowak wanted to settle so a drawn-out trial wouldn’t interfere with the time she spends with the children.

Read Full Article At Safetynewsalert.com

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