Roofer Awarded $7 Million for Almost Getting Electrocuted

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A roofer who got jolted by a live electrical wire while working on the roof of a Honda warehouse won a $7 million award for his injuries.

Charles Shea, a 34-year-old New Jersey man, was employed by a roofing company and sent to work on a warehouse owned by Honda Motor Co. and maintained by another company, Trane Inc.

Shea was touched by a live wire left on the roof after a condensing unit had been removed. The wire “had been abandoned years ago, but it was still live and sent 480 volts into Mr. Shea,” said his attorney, Alfred J. Falcione.

Shea was thrown 20 feet and injured a disk at the base of his neck, requiring fusion surgery and a spinal implant surgery.

Due to the injuries he sustained in the accident, Shea has trouble walking and can no longer work as a roofer.

The jury found Honda and Trane equally to blame for leaving the live wire exposed. It awarded a total of $6.9 million to the married father of three, including $2 million for pain and suffering, about $3 million for lost income and $2 million for medical expenses.

“He has been a roofer since he was 20, and that’s all he ever knew,” Falcione said. “He suffered severe injuries, and he will never work in that field again. We think the jury understood that and justice was served.”