A former government employee who went blind after a hose on a vacuum truck exploded in his face has confidentially settled a suit against the third-party contractor that owned the truck for $1.75 million and collected $200,000 in worker’s compensation, his attorney reports.
Harry Oxner of Oxner and Stacey in Georgetown reports that his client, whose name was withheld pursuant to a confidentiality agreement, was using the truck to clean out a ditch in Georgetown County in January 2019 when the vacuum hose burst, severely injuring his eyes.
Oxner
“It basically bubbled up into his face,” Oxner said.
Oxner said that the third-party contractor that owned the truck hadn’t inspected the hose even once in the five years it had owned the truck, even though it was required to do so at least once every three months.
Although the client, a father of four, underwent five surgeries to repair the damage, he is now totally blind and no longer works, Oxner said. He also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and depends on his wife, who had to quit a well-paying job to care for him around the clock.
“He can’t cook, he can’t do all the things that you need to be able to do,” Oxner said.
Due to the confidentiality agreement, other details about the cases, including the identities of the defendants and their counsel, were unavailable, but Oxner said the contractor initially contended that it had been the county’s duty to inspect the hose, which was found to have several gashes, and that the client should have noticed that it was damaged. Ultimately, the two sides reached an agreement on Aug. 25.
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SETTLEMENT REPORT — WORKPLACE ACCIDENT
Amount: $1,950,000 ($1.75 million settlement with third-party contractor and $200,000 in workers’ compensation)
Injuries alleged: Blindness in both eyes, post-traumatic stress disorder
Case name: Confidential
Date of settlement: Aug. 25
Special damages: $355,302 (past medical bills)
Attorney for plaintiff: Harry Oxner of Oxner and Stacey in Georgetown
Attorney for defendant: Withheld