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A Voluntown construction worker, seriously injured when a wood pallet loaded with sheet metal parts fell on him while being lifted by a crane onto a Pfizer building under construction in Groton, has settled his personal injury lawsuit for $1.3 million Friday. Gerald Hatfield, age 53, filed his case in the New London Superior Court three years ago against L. K. Sheet Metal Company of East Hartford, the company that was delivering the sheet metal parts to the construction site. Hatfield was on the roof of Pfizer building 274 on Eastern Point Road when a 2700 pound load of sheet metal ducting broke loose
from the crane, falling 20 feet to the roof and crushing him. Under the terms of the settlement, CNA Insurance Company, which was the liability insurance company for L. K Sheet Metal Company and the workers compensation insurer for Hatfield’s employer, Yankee Sheet Metal Company, agreed to pay Hatfield a lump sum of $950,000 and to waive any claim for reimbursement of the $350,000 it had previously paid to him for his medical bills and weekly workers compensation since the accident. Hatfield was represented in the lawsuit by attorney Robert I. Reardon, Jr., of The Reardon Law Firm of New London.

After an investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Occupation Safety and Health Administration, cited L. K. Sheet Metal for violating safety standards by using a nylon hoisting strap to lift the load, which was not protected from rubbing on the sharp edges of the sheet metal. OSHA determined this to be a serious violation and fined L. K. Sheet Metal $1,500.

The Reardon Law Firm retained experts in the field of crane operation, mechanical engineering and safe construction practices. It was determined that wear pads or protective sleeves are commonly placed over nylon webbing before loads of materials are to be lifted on pallets by cranes, and that while these protective sleeves were available, they were not used by workers at the site. Further, it was determined there was no rigging competent person designated at the site to oversee proper rigging as required by industry standards and there was no one to guide the load properly.

Hatfield suffered a pelvic fracture, fractures of his left leg, a laceration of his spleen and multiple internal injuries. He was hospitalized for several weeks at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital where he underwent several surgeries and then was transferred to the Riverside Rehabilitation Health Care Facility in East Hartford where he spent another month recuperating from his injuries. He has been left with permanent neurological damage to his left leg and has been unable to return to construction work.

Attorney Reardon states: “This case was complicated by the fact that there were many sub-contractors on the site, each pointing the finger at the other. After depositions were taken, it became clear that L. K. Sheet Metal and its parent corporation, Kleeberg Sheet Metal, were responsible for the nylon webbing and the rigging that failed. My client is pleased that this case has now concluded with a fair settlement before a trial. He has been through a long and painful recuperation from his injuries and can now move on with his life. “