Altair Law Partner Craig Peters Obtains One of 2017’s Top Settlements
08/07/2018The Recorder listed one of Craig Peters’ resolved cases in its annual Top Verdicts and Settlements issue which highlights California’s top results based on dollar amount.
Craig, a founding partner at Altair Law, secured a $6.5 million settlement in 2017 on behalf of a man who had his toes and portions of his left foot amputated as the result of a workplace accident in 2013.
The plaintiff, 37-year-old Jason Gilmer, and several co-workers at California Trenchless Inc., attempted to replace sewer pipes in Martinez, CA. While installing these pipes, the workers had to inject resin and flatten any bulges that may have occurred during this process. In order to flatten these bulges, there were liners that ran through the rollers on a conveyor the company had leased from FerraTex and Spiniello Companies. Mr. Gilmer’s responsibilities included dealing with the sewer bypass and manning the vacuums on the conveyer. Due to poor training and improper safety precautions, Mr. Gilmer’s foot got caught in the rollers. Despite pressing the stop button on the conveyor’s remote control, his colleagues were unable to stop the conveyor before the belt rollers crushed Mr. Gilmer’s foot and ankle.
“Had my client been properly trained or if the company had taken proper safety precautions with its products, he’d be able to walk today,” said attorney Craig Peters. “Jason is a young man who will never be able to walk again without assistance and will need medical care for the rest of his life.”
Throughout litigation, Craig argued that Spiniello and its employees were careless in regard to its obligations to provide a safe product to their customers and to provide proper safety equipment and workplace protections.
As a result of his injuries, Mr. Gilmer suffered from bone infections and necrosis of the toes and foot. He eventually had to undergo multiple surgeries to amputate all of his toes and most of his foot. He is permanently disfigured and will require prostheses for the rest of his life. The lawsuit was filed in Contra Costa Superior Court.