Pilgrim’s Pride in $2.5m Settlement after Employee Death

US - The Dallas personal injury attorneys of Grossman Law Offices have settled a dispute with Pilgrim's Pride Corporation for a total of $2,500,000 following the death of James Bynum at Pilgrim's Mount Pleasant, Texas plant.
calendar icon 3 July 2013
clock icon 3 minute read

The dispute arose when Mr. Bynum, a 25-year veteran of Pilgrim's Pride, was run over by a fellow employee at the Protein Conversion Plant of the Mount Pleasant location.

The accident occurred around 1 a.m. on 27 July 2011 when Mr. Bynum was working near a shuttle truck on a loading dock and was struck, and subsequently pinned underneath the truck. Mr. Bynum survived for several hours underneath the trailer of the truck, suffering immense pain which ultimately led to his death.

Lead litigant for the Plaintiff Michael Grossman said: "Being in the personal injury business for almost 25 years, I've seen many unfortunate accidents.

“However, I'll never forget this one. Our client was actually conscious while the trailer was on top of him and asked the very man who ran him over to phone his wife.

“Now, Texas law allows for the recovery of what's called pain and suffering, essentially what the victim experienced prior to his or her death. Can you imagine the pain and suffering Jimmy went through that night?"

As visitors to the firm's website are probably aware, defendants must be compelled to compensate a victim. This, of course, requires proof, not only of the pain the victim suffered, but also how and why the accident occurred. The latter is particularly important, because if a personal injury firm cannot prove a defendant's liability, there simply is no case.

Attorney Grossman added: "When you litigate a case of this magnitude, no stone should be left unturned. So to prove up this case, we first did our own investigation. Then had several other parties conduct their own investigations.

“Then had medical experts detail all the injuries associated with a large truck crushing a man to death. Then had work safety experts detail what procedures should have been in place at the plant. Then had economists detail the financial impact on our client and his family. In every case we handle, we have to go the extra mile to fully and accurately compensate our clients, and certainly this case was no exception."

After liability was firmly established, and the hardships our clients endured shown, the Dallas work injury attorneys at Grossman Law Offices were in a position to push for a quicker resolution than fully litigating the case. Attorney Grossman concludes,

"Settling for a total of $2.5 million is an excellent figure for our clients, and commensurate with what they and the victim went through. Not only is litigation expensive, but it also delays our clients' recovery. At the end of the day, their recovery is what this is all about."

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