A Harris County resident has filed a lawsuit against a local consulting firm and its principals, alleging negligence that led to severe injuries. Kyonghan Kim lodged the complaint on July 16, 2024, in the District Court of Harris County, Texas, naming Blakeman & Associates LLC along with Daniel and Carolyn Blakeman as defendants.
The case revolves around an incident that occurred on November 1, 2022. Kim was employed as a machinist at Marberry Machine in Houston, Texas. The company had contracted Blakeman & Associates LLC to provide workplace safety consulting services. According to the lawsuit, the defendants were responsible for conducting routine safety inspections and managing safety practices at Marberry Machine. On the day of the incident, Kim stepped on a plastic bucket to retrieve tools from a high toolbox, lost his balance, and fell. This fall resulted in severe and disabling injuries. The plaintiff asserts that it was common practice for employees to use such makeshift methods due to the lack of proper equipment for reaching higher-placed items.
Kim alleges that Blakeman & Associates LLC failed in their duty to ensure a safe working environment by allowing unsafe work practices and instrumentalities to persist. Specifically, he claims that the company did not provide or recommend safer alternatives or eliminate hazardous conditions at the workplace. "Defendants were negligent at all times material hereto by not providing Plaintiff and others a safe place to work," states the complaint.
The plaintiff is seeking damages exceeding $1 million for pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, physical impairment, lost earning capacity, medical treatment costs (both past and future), court costs, and pre-judgment and post-judgment interest. He has also demanded a trial by jury.
Representing Kyonghan Kim are attorneys Andrew Seerden from The Seerden Law Firm PLLC and Jaekwang “Jay” Bae. The case has been assigned Case ID 2024-44275 in the 113th Judicial District Court of Harris County.