Paraplegic Wins $40 Million From Qwest For Telephone Pole Accident
A jury on Thursday awarded nearly $40 million to a man who was paralyzed after a Qwest Communication telephone pole he was working on collapsed in 2004. Andy Blood, 27, an employee of Xcel Energy at the time, sued Qwest saying the company failed to repair their company-owned pole in Adams County. An investigation revealed the utility pole had been erected in 1958 but never inspected.”Hopefully this means a better life,” Blood told the Rocky Mountain News in a telephone interview after the jury’s verdict. “This sends a clear message to Qwest that they need to inspect their poles and do what they promised.”
After a nine-day trial, the The awarded Blood and his wife Carrie $21.5 million in compensatory damages and $18 million in punitive damages against Qwest.
Blood’s lawyer said he believed the jury’s decision was one of the largest injury verdicts for a single person in Colorado’s history.
Qwest spokesman Bob Toevs said: “The circumstances are tragic and our sympathies are with Mr. Blood, however we do plan on appealing the verdict.”
Toevs said the pole that collapsed was not used or serviced by the company at the time of the accident.
Blood, of Henderson, Colo., was working on the pole, which was also used by Xcel, when it broke. He fell 25 feet to the ground, suffering permanent spinal cord injuries, according to the original lawsuit.