Szaferman Lakind

PRESS RELEASE

Mercer County Jury Finds Bergen X-Ray Company Injured Technicians
Three Princeton Technicians Permanently Injured by Caustic Gases to Get Nearly $3 Million

Trenton, NJ-December 22, 2009 - Mercer County Superior Court Judge Thomas W. Summers Jr. today signed an Order for Judgment awarding nearly $3,000,000 to three technicians at Princeton Regional Orthopaedics who were seriously injured by caustic gases due to the improper installation of their office's X-ray machine.

A jury in Trenton found that the defendant, Bergen County-based A Walsh Imaging, Inc., negligently installed the office's X-ray machine. A lack of sufficient ventilation caused the technicians to inhale caustic gases that permanently damaged their respiratory systems. The three technicians, all in their fifties, sustained nearly identical injuries: permanent destruction of their respiratory epithelia, resulting in chronic respiratory problems and a range of medical complications, including asthma and extreme chemical sensitivity.

Steven Blader, a partner at the Lawrenceville firm of Szaferman, Lakind, Blumstein & Blader, represented the plaintiffs. Mr. Blader said that the jury took only 45 minutes to reach its verdict. "As a result of the negligent ventilation of X-ray machines, not just once, but on three occasions, these women were exposed to dangerous chemicals, including gluteraldehyde, over a period of months and will suffer for the rest of their lives. This should never have happened. It is likely that other machines around the state are not sufficiently ventilated, and I hope every employer who uses X-ray machines will make sure that they are safe for their workers," Blader said.

Szaferman Lakind, (pronounced SHAY-fer-man LAY-kend) is a full service law firm serving businesses and individuals throughout New Jersey. It provides representation to a wide array of clients in such areas as environmental law, litigation, personal injury, commercial and tax law, employment law, family law, land use, estate planning, and real estate and development law.