Recent Blog Posts in January 2009

According to a Texas newspaper, Railserve Inc. is left as a lone defendent in a FELA suit filed by Perry Ashworth, an employee of the company, who lost part of his leg in 2007 after a railcar rolled over him.

When the accident occurred, Ashworth was working at a Huntsman Petrochemical Corp. refinery attempting to rearrange the rail cars when one of the cars rolled and entangled his right leg, servering it below the knee.  Huntsman was originally names in the suit, but was dismissed after granting Ashworth worker's compensation benefits totaling around $290 thousand. 

Another defendant in the case, Rescar, Inc., an affiliate with Railserve, motioned to appeal Huntsman's summary judgment but dropped the appeal after reaching settlement with Ashworth.  This now leaves Railserve, Inc. as the only defendant in the case, and Ashworth continues to pursue a Federal EMployer's Liability Act claim alleging that his employer, "failed to provide him with a safe place to work and failed to comply with government regulations."

If you are a rail worker who suffered an injury on the job, and you feel your employer was responsible, contact the experienced FELA Lawyers of Page Cagle law firm in St. Louis.  Our knowledgeable legal team can answer all you questions and help you get compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, and more.

In a wrongful death lawsuit filed in Wisconsin, the family of a 16 year old girl finally reached a settlement agreement for $1 million.  The accident occurred in 2007 at a Christian music festival where the teen fell 50 feet to her death because the safety harness on her swing chair was not properly secured.  Further investigation also proved that the safety rope was not properly attached to her harness in the first place.

The suit names Life Promotions, the organization that planned the festival, and Air Glory, Inc., the company in charge of operating the swing ride.  The suit alleged that Air Glory was negligent in operating and maintaining the swing chairs that caused this tragedy.  After the accident, Air Glory was unable to operate rides in the state for one year.

The exact terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but it did award the full amount of Air Glory's $1 million insurance policy to the victim's family.

Losing a loved one is always a devastating and sensitive situation, but if that loss is the result of an intentional or negligent act, you do have the option to file a wrongful death claim.  The St. Louis Wrongful Death Attorneys of Page Cagle law firm have the skill to aggressively fight for you and your family to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve. 

Jorge Miguel Romero pled no contest and was sentenced to a year in jail this month to charges of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter after he crashed his big rig into the back of a van last August.  The collision killed the three children in the backseat, 5-year-old Kyle Coble and his two sisters, Emma, 4, and Katie, 2.  All were strapped into child-safety seats.

Jorge pled no contest claiming that he thinks about those three children every day, a memory that has made him certain he will never drive a truck again.  The Cobles filed a civil lawsuit against Romero alleging his negligence and failure to pay attention to the road made it difficult to avoid the stopped traffic.  Cell phone records also suggest that Romero was checking his voicemail at the time of the accident.  According to the Coble's attorney, the year sentence has only given the family partial closure.

Large trucks cause some of the most devastating and dangerous road accidents every year.  If you or a loved one were injured in a trucking accident, the Page Cagle Truck Accident Attorneys are here to help.  Our legal team has successfully litigated truck accident cases all over the state. Contact us today for a free consultation.

According to an Associated Press report, the U.S. Army recently changed the manner of death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth from "accidental" electrocution to a "negligent homicide" after an investigation revealed that KBR Inc., a military contractor, and two of its supervisors did not ensure that "qualified electricians and plumbers" worked on the barracks where Maseth died.

Maseth, a Green Beret serving in Baghdad, died January of 2008 from cardiac arrest after he was electrocuted in the shower of his barracks.  His parents subsequently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against KBR, claiming that it exposed U.S. soldiers to electrical systems that KBR, "knew to be dangerous," and had caused previous electrocution incidents.  Last year, at least 18 deaths of service members and contractors were being investigated as possible electrocutions.

After Maseth's mother testified on Capitol Hill about the military's electrical problems, the Army responded with several changes to its facilities in Iraq such as creating an electrical code. According to Sen. Bob Casey, the new policies as well as the legal review of Maseth's case by the Army's Criminal Investigation Command headquarters are validation of Mrs. Maseth's efforts to seek full accountability for what happened to her son. 

If you have a family member or a loved who who was the victim of a dangerous, negligent or intentional act, the attorneys of Page Cagle are here to help.  We can sift through the information and fight for you and your family.  Understandably, this is a tough time but you should not hesitate to call and get knowledgable and experienced attorneys on your side.

In a five-count suit, Charlie Stokes alleges that after a three-month hospital stay, his wife Frankie Mae Stokes died as a result of negligence on behalf of Anderson Hospital and three doctors.

Frankie Mae was a patient at Anderson Hospital from November 2006 to January 2007 where she experienced an abdominal infection, severe sepsis, and infected decubitus ulcers (bedsores). 

Two years later, Stokes is filing suit against Anderson Hospital because it failed to closely monitor his wife for signs of infection or immediately alert her physicians of any major changes in her condition.  Also, he alleges that the doctors did not order appropriate diagnostic tests to determine the full scale of Frankie Mae's condition.  As a result, she developed an abdominal infection as well as deteriorating bedsores.

Because the hospital staff and doctors did not prevent or appropriately treat Frankie Mae Stokes' symptoms in time, Charlie Stokes attributes his wife's death to negligence, seeking a judgment of at least $200,000 plus costs.

If you have lost a family member or loved one because of the negligence or actions of others, you may be entitled to a wrongful death claim.  The experienced legal team of Page Cagle will help you determine your options and build a case with the ultimate goal of client satisfaction.