BEAUMONT – A Beaumont woman has settled a lawsuit against a leading cable provider for $8.5 million for injuries she sustained in a trip and fall accident at a patient’s home. The woman was represented by Paul ‘Chip’ Ferguson of The Ferguson Law Firm who noted this settlement to be “historic” and representative of the largest recovery in Jefferson County’s history for this type of case, a press release states.
“The settlement is confidential as to certain specifics,” Ferguson said. “I can say that it is a great result for the client and represents what I believe to be the largest recovery ever in Jefferson County for this type of case. More importantly, this allows for her and her family to move forward with the care and assistance needed.”
The 42-year-old woman was a local health care provider who had gone to a home to care for a pediatric patient. As she was leaving the home, she tripped and fell over a cable left stretched across the front porch of a home she was visiting to treat a pediatric patient. The fall fractured the elbow on her dominant arm. She later developed post-traumatic dystonia, an injury which weakened and compromised her ability to use her arm or hand, the press release states.
The injury now requires lifetime medical care and severely compromised her ability to perform her job. This led to limitations in her work and caused a reduction in pay. More significantly, it compromised her ability to care for her husband and two school-aged children, the press release states.
Ferguson, commented, “While she was able to find an employer who made certain accommodations for her, this woman lost a substantial part of her ability to do her job. In a two-income household, the economic impact was significant. This impact exacerbated further due to her need for lifetime care.”
"The impact on her work was the least of the problems," Ferguson said. “The real devastation was in how it impacted her home. She was unable to run her house, care for her already-disabled husband, or care for her two children, both of whom were in school.”
The settlement funds will provide for the woman’s medical and in-home needs. It will also be used to set up educational funds for the children.
“We are very pleased that this result will provide for her lifetime medical care and in-home care," Ferguson said. "It allows for them to return to a lifestyle similar to what this family had before. They can now provide for themselves, their children, and their educational needs. We are very happy for them and glad our efforts have provided this for them. That is, after all, the reason we do what we do: to provide for the client and her family. We did that and I am very proud of the work done here.”
The settlement continues The Ferguson Law Firm’s remarkable streak of top-tier results for their clients, including Jane Leger’s $33 million settlement in an industrial fire case and Cody Dishon’s $1.75 million settlement in a tow truck crash. This follows Chip Ferguson’s own $8.5 million settlement in a commercial motor vehicle crash in Orange County. The firm continues to represent its clients from their offices in Beaumont and Orange.