Verdict & Settlements

$2 million settlement for negligent ladder maintenance.

A cable television installer left quadriplegic by a 20-foot fall from a ladder accepted $2 million (which was the insurance policy limits). The plaintiff was working when the ladder slipped, allegedly because it had a worn foot pad, causing it to lose contact with the pavement. According to Fitzhugh’s safety expert, the footpad was worn but not replaced when the ladder was inspected in November 2009 by Batavia Services of Seaview, Texas, which was under contract with Fitzhugh’s employer, Time-Warner Cable, to regularly inspect its ladders and make repairs where needed.