Family Obtains a $1 Million Settlement
On August 1, 2005 Tragelus Labranche went to work to support his family as he
had done so for his entire life. Tragelus was married to his wife for 18 years and fathered 4 children. On the day of the tragedy he reported to work as he had done for many years at the Coreslab Structures Miami, Inc. plant in Medley, Florida and was sandblasting large concrete panels at the time of his death. Tragelus was breathing air that was supplied by a large and very old air compressor. While doing his job and unbeknownst to him he began to breathe
carbon monoxide which caused his untimely death.
Panter, Panter & Sampedro, P.A. worked with the Finizio Law Firm to investigate and find out why this tragedy occurred and who was responsible. The investigation revealed that there would be more than one theory of liability and more than one defendant.
Brett Panter reviewed the evidence and established two theories of liability. First, the Arle Company failed to maintain the compressor in an appropriate and safe manner causing a hose to rupture and set in motion the events which cost Tragelus his life. Arle denied liability. The second theory was that Arle sold Coreslab the wrong equipment for the type of work being done. Arle failed to provide an appropriate cut-off switch in case of noxious and or dangerous or deadly gases. Ultimately, the oil hose broke and toxic smoke escaped and vaporized. It was this vaporized air that went through multiple lines which Tragelus Labranche used to breathe and which was the source of toxic fumes
responsible for his death.
After an extensive investigation and with the aid of qualified experts and discovery, the defendants agreed to settle for a total of $1 Million. The Million Dollar settlement will not replace Tragelus Labranche’s life, however, the settlement will help ease the financial burden caused by the absence of the main provider for this family.
