A 23-year-old mother sustained severe burn injuries in an outdoor gas grill explosion at her apartment complex. The outdoor grill was furnished for tenant use in the poolside common area. The explosion was caused by a corroded hardline natural gas pipe that was leaking natural gas into the brick grill enclosure. When the Plaintiff went to light the grill, the pooled natural gas exploded, and flames surrounded the Plaintiff’s body.
The Plaintiff’s was transported to a level 1trauma center. When she arrived at the hospital, she had burns to 12% of her body. The area of injury kept expanding after the initial contact with the flames, as is common with burn injuries, and by the time the expansion stopped, the Plaintiff had burns on 36% of her body. The Plaintiff remained hospitalized for 19 days and underwent 4 surgeries, including an autograft. The Plaintiff will have visible scarring, discoloration, and compromised skin on large parts of her body for the rest of her life. The Plaintiff incurred over $262,000.00 in past medical bills.
The Plaintiff’s experts included a pain management doctor who treated her ongoing physical pain from the burns, a clinical psychologist who treated her post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health concerns, and an OBGYN who advised the Plaintiff on her future pregnancy risks. The defense hired a plastic surgeon who conceded that the Plaintiff would require multiple future scar revision surgeries and procedures, and that she would never return to her pre-explosion condition.
Liability and damages were disputed. Forty discovery depositions and four de bene esse depositions were taken throughout the course of the case. A mediation was held four months prior to trial, but it failed and settlement discussions did not occur again until the week before trial. The attorneys, through the mediator, were able to negotiate a settlement the day before jury instructions were due. The case resolved for $7,000,000.00. The settlement came four months before the statute of limitations. All other terms of the settlement are confidential.