Personal Injury News

Los Alamos National Laboratory Settlement Of Personal Injury Lawsuit

Los Alamos National Laboratory Director John Browne today announced an "agreement in principle" on settlement terms in a personal injury lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by the family of a Laboratory contract worker who remains in a coma from a 1996 electrical accident.

The University of California Board of Regents approved the general terms for the proposed settlement. The detailed language of the settlement will be finalized in the near future.

The settlement will include a payment of $13 million to the family of Efren Martinez, a contract employee who was operating a jackhammer that struck a buried 13,200-volt electrical power cable. The incident occurred Jan. 17, 1996.

"No amount of money can make up for the loss of a husband and a father to the Martinez family," Browne said.

Martinez's accident and other incidents in recent years were a call for the Laboratory "to further strengthen our commitment to safety," Browne said. "This was a tragic accident. We have taken steps to help make sure that no other serious accidents happen here in the future."

The Laboratory has expanded its previous safety program into an "integrated safety management system" that builds considerations of safety into every aspect of Laboratory activities, from the worker level on up to top management. Various other activities under way also try to maintain a continual emphasis on safety.

The proposed settlement of the Martinez lawsuit does not indicate any wrongdoing on the part of the Laboratory.

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