A worker who repeatedly hit his head while working on a San Rafael, Calif., hotel was awarded $11.7 million, which reportedly is the biggest personal injury verdict ever in Marin County.
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David Travis, an elevator mechanic hurt in 2007 when he was working on the Extended Stay hotel, was awarded the money from a Marin Superior Court jury after three days of deliberations.
But it is possible that Travis could only wind up with $9.9 million, since the jury found that the general contractor, Bison Builders of Spokane, Wash., as liable for just 75 percent of the damages.
At the time Travis, of Oakland, Calif., was hurt he was 38 and was making $150,000 a year. At the trial, Travis’s attorney charged that Bison Builders made Travis and other workers carry parts under scaffolding with a clearance of only 5 feet, 7 inches, which is more than a foot lower than is required by the state.
Travis was 6-foot-1 when he was wearing his helmet, and he did voice complaints about working conditions at the hotel site, to no avail. As a result, he repeatedly struck his head while working. He got herniated discs, was nearly paralyzed and had to undergo surgery.
As a result of his injuries, Travis now is suffering from neurological pain, burning and numbness. He is unable to do routine physical tasks, has to wear diapers and, according to his attorney, will have to be confined to a wheelchair as he gets older.
