Multiple families suffered injury from radiation secondary to fertilizer that contained
phosphorous and phosphogypsum that may have contained radioactive products, including Uranium 226 and its metabolites. Families
were exposed by contamination of ground water as well as by air. Injuries include cancer, birth defects, chemical sensitivity,
toxic brain injury and compromised immune systems.
Past Cases
In addition to our expertise in the
area of chemical exposure, the firm of Rober M. Fellheimer, P.C. continues its long tradition of assisting those persons who
have been injured in other areas such as medical malpractice and product liability. Following is a smpling of some of our
past cases.
Case Summary: A thirty-five year old woman attorney was hospitalized
for a minor surgical procedure on her lower back. While still hospitalized three days after the surgery, she was given a walker
by one of the floor nurses. The nurse failed to warn her that the walker was a foldable model. While she was using it in her
hospital room, the walker folded inward, causing the women to fall face forward. As a result of the fall she sustained a fracture
of a bone in her spine, which required extensive spinal surgery. We obtained a multi-million dollar settlement against the
hospital.
Case Summary: A thirty-year-old technician at a local oil refinery
was working in a small quality control laboratory. She was making use of a machine that tests the viscosity of petroleum products.
After a few hours, the technician was overcome by toxic chemical fumes [hexane] that were leaking from the machine. Following
her exposure to the chemical, she became unable to concentrate or think clearly. We sued the company that had manufactured
the machine, and proved that the machine was defectively designed. We also arranged for the technician to undergo extremely
sophisticated medial testing which objectively proved that her exposure to the chemical fumes caused subtle brain damage which
was responsible for her medical symptoms. We obtained a multi-million dollar settlement against the machine manufacture.
Case Summary: A woman in her mid-twenties was admitted to a local hospital for the delivery of her second child whom she had
been carrying for the past 39 weeks. Hospital personnel hooked the woman up to a fetal monitor machine. However, the personnel
failed to watch the fetal monitor readings and left the woman and her husband alone for the next 45 minutes. The oxygen supply
to the fetus was being slowly cut off because the umbilical cord was compressed inside the woman’s birth canal. The
full developed fetus died. We sued the hospital for medical malpractice. We retained experts in obstetrics and pathology to
prove that the medical staff failed to provide mother and child with appropriate medical care, and that the fetus died as
a sole result of the medical staff’s negligence. We settled the case in the middle of the jury trial for nearly one
million dollars.
Case Summary: A thirty-year-old machine operator at a
local linoleum factory was in the process of changing metal rolls, which were used to emboss the pattern on the linoleum.
To change the rolls he was making use of a machine, which malfunctioned, causing his hand to be crushed inside the printing
press. After several failed surgeries, the worker became depressed and sought the care of a psychiatrist. The worker subsequently
died, allegedly the result of medication subscribed by the psychiatrist. We sued the manufacturer of the printing press machine,
and proved that it had been defectively designed. We also sued the psychiatrist for medical malpractice. We obtained a total
settlement of nearly one million dollars for the worker’s family.
Case Summary: A thirty-year
old automotive worker was walking along a sidewalk carrying his infant daughter. He slipped and fell on a patch of ice on
a sidewalk in front of a house in his neighborhood, injuring his wrist. We sued the neighbor, and proved that the accumulation
of the ice was actually caused by a long-standing defect in the sidewalk pavement, which the homeowner should have been aware
of and should have repaired. We obtained a settlement of nearly one hundred thousand dollars for our client.
Case Summary: While operating her car, a fifty-year-old woman was rear-ended by another car, which was traveling at roughly
15 m.p.h. The woman sustained serious injuries to her lower back, which required her to undergo spinal surgery. The woman
developed complications from the surgery, which left her with a serious limp. We sued the driver of the car that rear-ended
the woman. We proved that the relativity low-speed impact did indeed cause the women’s herniated disc, and that her
current symptoms were a result of the accident-related injured and treatment for the injuries. Just before jury selection,
we obtained a substantial settlement for our client.
Case Summary: A thirty-year-old
man was attending an Elton John concert at a local indoor sports stadium. He was wrongfully ejected by security guards because
his neighbor was smoking. The security guards beat the man, causing him to suffer extensive injuries. We sued the security
company and obtained a substantial settlement.