Propane Explosion Kills One And Injures Three Others - $52,473,000 Verdict

The Walkup, Melodia burn injury team represented a family devastated by the effects of an explosion that destroyed a motor home.  A fire cause an origin investigation traced the source of the explosion to a liquid petroleum gas leak.  The explosion happened when the father attempted to light a stove-top burner.  The subsequent fireball completely destroyed the 8 x 26 foot travel trailer the family was using as a residence while they completed construction on a new home adjacent to the explosion site.  The initial explosion was so powerful that it blew one of the walls of the trailer 32 feet away.  motor home caught fire when its propane tank exploded.  The fire killed a young girl, and severely burned her parents and brother.  Through expert analysis the attorneys of Walkup Melodia argued that the only explanation for this explosion was that the defendants had defectively installed the propane system on this trailer by failing to protect the venting system from the elements.  For this reason, when the weather became too cold the system could not vent, and the home filled with propane vapor.  After three difficult years of litigation, the jury finally agreed with us and awarded the family over fifty million dollars.

Utility Worker Burned by High Voltage Electrical Wires -- $7,000,000 Settlement

The Walkup, Melodia burn injury team represented a utility worker who sustained first, second and third degree burns over fifty percent of his body when he was nearly electrocuted at a job site.  The client was performing routine telephone line replacement when a PG&E pole fractured, causing 12,000 volts of electrical current to contact him.  Walkup, Melodia proved that PG&E inspectors had recommended replacement of the pole many years before the date of the injury but had done nothing to remove it or make it safe in the interim.  Our lawyers sought compensation for our client’s physical pain and suffering as well as reimbursement for his past medical expenses and lost wages and the future cost of scar revisions and plastic surgery to help remediate the scars.  The Walkup burn injury team also negotiated with the injured client’s compensation carrier in order to keep his future medical benefits open.  The case was resolved after two days of mediation before a retired San Francisco Superior Court judge. 

High School Student Burned in Metal Shop – Cash and Annuity Settlement Achieved

Our government liability team, working with our burn injury lawyers, represented a Napa Valley High School sophomore who sustained second and third degree burns over his arm, shoulder and torso when his clothing caught fire during welding shop.  Walkup Melodia attorneys were able to prove that there was an absence of adequate supervision at the time of the injury and that the School District failed to provide adequate protective fire-proof clothing.  The School District argued that the child failed to follow directions, as specified by his teacher.  Under the terms of the settlement, the child’s past medical bills were paid, an amount representing pain and suffering was placed in the bank for him, and multiple structured settlements were negotiated guaranteeing that he has sufficient funds to pay for any remedial cosmetic surgery.

Propane Gas Explosion—Third Degree Burns and Wrongful Death $5,000,000 Settlement

Our wrongful death team, working in association with our fire and burn injury lawyers, obtained a $5,000,000 settlement arising from a propane gas explosion at a Lake Tahoe area ski condominium.  The blast occurred as a family of five were enjoying a ski vacation.  The explosion killed the husband and one of the children.  The settlement included cash payments as well as annuities for the surviving children.  Our burn injury attorneys alleged that there was negligence in the design and construction of the condominium, and that the decision to route the propane gas supply in areas where large quantities of snow could be expected to slide off of the roof was below accepted construction practices.  Although very little physical evidence remained following the explosion, Walkup attorneys, working with specialized experts, were able to reconstruct the accident to show that snow did in fact slide from the roof above, causing the propane piping to fracture, and highly flammable vapors to accumulate in a subbasement.  The $5,000,000 settlement was apportioned partially for the death of the father, partially for the death of the 3-year-old, and partially to the claims of two of the other family members who suffered burn injuries and emotional distress.

Mother Burned by Fuel-Fed Vehicle Fire -- Confidential Seven Figure Settlement

Our automobile fire injury lawyers represented a 41-year-old woman who experienced serious second and third degree burns over her feet, legs and torso attempting to extricate her daughter from a vehicle after it caught fire. 

Sisters Burned in Van v. Auto Collision – Multi-Million Dollar Settlement

The Walkup burn injury specialists represented sisters who suffered third degree burns over forty percent of their body when a church camp van in which they were riding collided with another vehicle and burst into flames.  The accident happed in Butte County, and the case was litigated in Butte County Superior Court.  Our clients sought recovery from the other driver, as well as the church camp operator, for general damages and future costs of medical care, reconstructive surgery and counseling.  The settlements were paid both in cash and in deferred future annuities, so that each burn victim would have a guaranteed stream of income during the period of her recovery. 

Fatal Hot Tub Burns – $2,500,000 Wrongful Death Settlement

Our product liability burn injury attorneys mediated resolution of a tragic wrongful death case on behalf of the surviving parents of a 4-year-old girl who was burned over eighty percent of her body when she jumped into the family hot tub.  The surviving parents had purchased the hot tub from a local retailer for use by the family.  The family had been told that this was a “top of the line model” and was “completely automatic.”  On the day of the fatal injury, the mother of the child opened the hot tub and the youngster jumped in.  Unknown to either of them, the temperature control device on the tub had malfunctioned and the internal water temperature had reached nearly 150 degrees.  The child was scalded before her mother’s eyes.  She survived for 61 days following the incident.  Our burn experts were able to prove that the thermostat failed to function properly and that the wiring for the automatic safety shutdown did not conform to manufacturing specifications. 

Liquid Petroleum Gas Explosion – Confidential Settlement

Our automobile accident burn injury specialists, working with our auto accident lawyers achieved a confidential settlement on behalf of a family that was badly burned while driving through the Interstate 80/580 interchange.  A truck driver lost control of his tractor-trailer and collided with a freeway support column while exceeding the speed limit.  His tanker truck was transporting 49,000 gallons of liquid petroleum gas.  The fuel ignited, killing the driver, melting the roadway, and entrapping our clients in flames.  Our burn injury specialists obtained recovery for our clients for compensatory damages for their second and third degree burns, as well as punitive damages. 

Scalding Water Burns Senior Home Resident– $900,000 Settlement

The Walkup burn injury team, working with our abuse and neglect attorneys, obtained a settlement in the amount of $900,000 on behalf of a 79-year-old woman who was burned by scalding coffee at a Bay Area senior assisted care living center. Our client, who was having dinner in the facility dining room, was injured when a deranged co-resident poured hot coffee over her head, resulting in second and third degree burns, multiple skin grafting operations and extended inpatient hospitalization. The claim, against the residential care facility, alleged that the owners and operators were negligent in their supervision of the residents, and had negligently failed to segregate dangerous residents, as well as those suffering from dementia, from the general population of the facility. The recovery included compensation for past medical expenses, pain and suffering, and the cost of future treatment for burn related cosmetic surgery.

Chemical Burn to Homemaker – Confidential Settlement

The Walkup burn injury team obtained a confidential six figure settlement for a woman who suffered partial thickness chemical burns to both her legs from a household floor cleaning solution.  The woman was on her knees cleaning her kitchen floor when her pants became wet from the cleaning solution.  The solution contained a chemical that caused severe bilateral burns.  The claim alleged that the product failed to warn users of the risk of causing burn injuries.  This was a product marketed for home use, and to unsophisticated consumers.  Although the product contained some general warnings to avoid contact with skin, it did not explain why or inform users of the fact that it could cause burn injuries.