Boston Injury Lawsuit Results in $7.7M Verdict for Burned Boiler Maker

A Massachusetts jury has awarded $7.7 million to a man who was severely burned by a defective water heater at a condominium complex. 

The work injury lawsuit was filed by a 46-year-old boiler repairman against Falmouth Pines condominium complex. The trial was heard in Middlesex County Superior Court in Massachusetts.

According to the complaint, the man was working on an industrial water heater that was supposed to be empty and depressurized when he was hit with a blast of steam and super-heated water in November 2008.

As a result of the incident, the man was hospitalized in a burn unit for three weeks and suffered burns across 50 percent of his body and underwent four skin graft surgeries. He also suffered post traumatic stress disorder after the accident and was unable to return to work.

The lawsuit claimed the boiler was poorly maintained and that the gauges read as empty when he checked them before beginning repairs on a leaking gasket. The repairman, who had 20 years 0f experience, also claimed he received verbal assurances from the condominium complex officials that the boiler had been emptied.

Despite the extent of his injuries, the Falmouth Pines’ insurance provider attempted to settle the case for only $200,000, according to a press release issued the man’s attorneys.