Notable Cases

Notable Cases for Our Houston Personal Injury Law Firm

Land Based Drilling Rig Injury

The plaintiff was a driller on a land based rig. He sustained severe abdominal injuries when a thin, highly pressurized stream of water tore through his midsection, causing him permanently to require the use of a colostomy bag and delivery of his nutrition through liquid formulas. Mr. Stevenson and his associates extensively developed the case and established liability for negligence against several parties for failure to properly conduct and supervise pressure testing as well as for providing inadequate tools. The case was developed and prosecuted under both Louisiana and Texas law. Seven defendants ultimately contributed to the settlement of this case, totaling 16.425 million dollars. After deducting case expenses of $262,886.00, a comp lien of $600,000.00 and total attorney’s fees of $6,424,845.60, the injured plaintiff recovered $8,737,268.40, and his minor son recovered $400,000.00.

Industrial Accident

The plaintiff, in this case, was rendered a quadriplegic when he fell from a ladder into an open containment pit. Although the accident occurred at a Valvoline plant in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Stevenson strategically filed the case in Texas, establishing venue in the district where the plaintiff and the plaintiff’s employer resided. The plaintiff sustained approximately $477,000 in medical expenses. Battling allegations of contributory negligence and independent contractor status by the defendants, Mr. Stevenson secured an $8.3 million settlement. In addition, the workers’ compensation lien was completely satisfied by the defendants. The plaintiff made a net recovery of $4,924,376.57 after subtracting case expenses of $92,679.95 and attorney fees of $3,282,943.48.

Airport Concourse Injury

On January 9, 2019, our client was traveling to Houston and walking through the concourse. He suddenly slipped and fell in a drink spilled by an airport employee, breaking his ankle. Upon return to his home state, the Client underwent surgery with placement of a plate and several screws. The lawsuit was settled at mediation for a confidential amount.

Pedicure Causing Thermal Burns

Client, who was a diabetic, received thermal burns to both feet, due to overheated water in his pedicure tub. The client could not sense or appreciate the temperature of the water due to his peripheral vascular condition. The 2^nd degree burns rendered him non-weight bearing and wheelchair bound for months. The injury resulted in surgical amputation of one toe. This case was settled at mediation for a confidential amount.

Auto/18-Wheeler Collision

Client received injuries when a 2012 Freightliner 18-wheeler rear-ended him at high speed on Interstate Highway 10, near Lake Charles, Louisiana. The case was filed in Federal Court and tried to a verdict. The client received injuries to his head, spine, shoulder, knee and hand. The client was awarded $4,375,017.62. The case was settled prior to appeal.

Auto/18-Wheeler Collision

Driver and passenger received injuries on May 31, 2018, when a truck/trailer combo sideswiped their vehicle. Both clients received spinal injuries and both underwent L5-S1 discectomy surgeries. The cases were settled for a confidential amount after mediation.

Dog Bite

Our teenaged client was visiting in a friend=s home when she was savagely bitten by a family dog. She received deep lacerations to her right upper lip and lower lips, and a laceration to her nasal bridge. The dog had a known history of aggression. Suit was filed and the case was tried to a jury verdict. The jury found Defendants negligent and grossly negligent. The jury=s award totaled $128,628.90.

Workplace Injury

In this case, Mr. Stevenson’s client recovered significant damages in a confidential settlement as a result of a bombing that occurred in the jungles of Columbia by unknown person(s). Jurisdiction was heavily contested and fought for over a year. The case was substantially made on the basis of a witness tracked down and deposed in Scotland and another who was discovered as a result of artful attorneying. Mr. Stevenson forced the major defendant into the position of producing its chairman/CEO. To avoid this embarrassment, and with their liabilities mounting, the defendant settled the case for a significant and confidential amount.

Jones Act/Maritime

While working aboard a jack-up drilling rig, the plaintiff sustained injuries when a piece of equipment fell from a crane. He incurred approximately $15,000 in medical expenses but had no surgery. The case was fraught with an inconsistent eyewitness and medical evidence. Mr. Newell and Mr. Beckcom, who previously practiced with Mr. Stevenson, tried the case to a Harris County jury, which returned a $738,000 verdict. The defendant appealed, but the 14th Court of Appeals in Houston affirmed the trial court’s judgment. The defendant appealed further to the Texas Supreme Court, who refused the petition for review. Following these appeals, the final award amounted to $747,500 with prejudgment and post-judgment interest. Of that amount, expenses of $53,735.02 and attorneys fees of $299,000 were deducted, providing for a total recovery by the plaintiff of $394,764.98.

The death of a Jones Act seaman employed as an engineer for an offshore boat company. The deceased was working as a member of the crew of a vessel owned and operated by the defendant when he suffered a heat stroke and died as a result of the extreme temperature and lack of ventilation in the engine room of the vessel. Resulted in a favorable settlement prior to trial.

A crane operator on an offshore drilling rig was injured when a 55-gallon drum fell from a pallet and struck him in the back. As a result of this incident, the crane operator suffered injuries to his lower leg and back that required surgery. Resulted in a favorable settlement prior to trial.

A deckhand for a Dredge company was injured when he slipped on a ladder that had not been properly maintained by his employer. As a result of his injuries, he underwent surgery on his back. Resulted in a favorable settlement prior to trial.

A deckhand for a Dredge company was injured in a slip and fall incident on the deck of a tender vessel while cleaning the cutter blades of the dredge. As a result of his injuries, he underwent a two-level herniation which resulted in surgery. Resulted in a favorable settlement prior to trial.

A member of the crew of a vessel was injured when the vessel on which he was working was struck and capsized by an offshore oil tanker. Our client spent several minutes underwater in the capsized vessel before finally escaping. As a result of this incident, he suffered significant emotional trauma and an injury to his back while attempting to escape the vessel. Resulted in a favorable settlement prior to trial.

A deckhand on a tugboat injured his neck in a slip and fall which occurred on the deck of the vessel. As a result of this incident, he suffered a herniation in his neck at C5-6 and underwent surgery on that level to repair the herniation. Resulted in a favorable settlement prior to trial.

An assistant driller on an offshore jack-up rig was injured when a spinning wrench that had been improperly secured on the rig floor dropped onto his hand. As a result, he suffered a significant hand injury which reduced the amount of strength in his hand and limited his range of motion. After six months of rehabilitation, he was able to return to work earning about half of what he was making before his injury. Resulted in a favorable settlement prior to trial.

Wrongful Termination

In this case, the plaintiff sustained an on-the-job injury at an oil services company. The defendant company assured the plaintiff that he would not be adversely treated as a result of his workplace injury and strung him along for months delaying reimbursements for medical treatment. Ultimately, the plaintiff had to file a claim, and he was terminated the following day. The firm obtained 1.165 million dollars for this wrongfully terminated employee. He netted $548,536.68 after attorney’s fees of $466,000.00, cases expenses of $110,463.32 and a medical lien of $40,000 were deducted from the total recovery.

18 Wheeler Accident

Death of a truck driver when a load of sheet metal fell from his flatbed trailer during the unloading process. The sheet metal fell from the truck because the metal bands securing the sheet metal to the pallets had broken during the transit process. During discovery, it was determined that the defendants had prior knowledge of metal bands breaking during transit, yet had done nothing to correct this problem. Resulted in a favorable settlement prior to trial.