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Jury Awards Woman $20M In Disabling Work Accident (CBS 3) PHILADELPHIA A woman whose arm was crushed in an industrial accident four years ago has been awarded $20 million by a jury – the largest liability verdict in Philadelphia this year. Guillermina Leyva, a mother of three, worked for Cardone Industries when a piece of equipment crushed her right arm. She has undergone 12 surgeries, and awaits two more. But she didn’t sue her employer. She sued the manufacturer of the equipment, Wheelabrator Corp. Her lawyer, Robert Brand, said the company offered a low amount for medical expenses, and nothing for pain and suffering. “Most of the vessels attached to the forearm are actually ripped away,” Brand said of the injuries his client sustained in the November 2001 accident. For her ordeal, which has left the 28-year-old unable to lift her right arm – her dominant arm – a Philadelphia jury awarded her $20 million. Wheelabrator is expected to appeal. “I don’t think (the company) appreciated that the citizens here in Philadelphia would show this type of compassion, that everyone’s life has meaning and has tremendous immeasurable value,” Brand said. Leyva, an immigrant, was an accomplished seamstress. But unable to perform that job, or any other physically-involved jobs, due to the injury. Leyva said manual labor jobs were her only means of employment due to her language barrier. In addition, she is limited in her activities with her children, and can no longer play basketball, one of her passions. For now, she’ll have to wait to see if her award is upheld. An attorney representing Wheelabrator said an appeal was being prepared, and said the company may argue that the case should have never gone to a jury in the first place.
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