Six figure settlement against a garbage truck manufacturer.

The client's hand was amputated when a hydraulic shaft was allowed to exist without any guard. The man got onto the side of the truck, reached up to hold on, and the shaft closed down and crushed and cut off 4 fingers — leaving only his thumb. The claim based on a defective product was quite obvious. An engineer was retained who, using cardboard, demonstrated how easily this accident could have been avoided. He folded the cardboard around the opening, closing off the inadvertent access. The manufacturer promptly settled.