A jury awarded $1.72 million to a worker who was seriously injured when a load lifted by a crane swung into him at an oil refinery. In 2005, Ernesto Tamez, then 59, attached an oil burner to the boom of the crane while working for a turnaround contractor at a BP America Inc. refinery in Texas City. When the crane operator lifted the boom, it swung like a pendulum into Tamez and pinned him against a handrail. He sustained a torn rotator cuff and herniated discs in his neck and back, all of which required surgery. Tamez claimed that the crane operator worked for Maxim Crane Works LP and he was to blame. Defense counsel denied that the crane operator was at fault and argued that Tamez didn't prove that he worked for Maxim.
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