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Tyson E. Logan, of The Spence Law Firm, LLC, has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a Casper woman who was poisoned by carbon monoxide gas in her apartment as she slept. The suit alleges the woman suffered a traumatic brain injury in her apartment when the furnace or the ventilation system leaked. Firefighters and investigators that responded to the scene found carbon monoxide levels of 500 parts per million inside the Casper apartment. The exposure to the carbon monoxide caused the woman a permanent traumatic brain injury.
According to the complaint, the apartment complex owners or management knew the furnaces were in need of repair or replacement, and at least one had leaked carbon monoxide in dangerous levels less than a year before the woman was poisoned. The suit alleges that despite such knowledge, the defendants, in reckless disregard for the safety of the tenants, did nothing to … Read more
Mark Aronowitz, of S.A.F.E.R. and the Spence Law Firm, LLC was interviewed for a Wyoming Tribune-Eagle article recently as Wyoming’s workplace safety issues continue to be national news. Read: Keep Job Safety Pressures On or call us today at 1-800-967-2117.
On April 27th, several dozen workers, citizens, advocates, clergy members and public officials gathered in Casper to observe Workers’ Memorial Day. The event was part of a national effort to fulfill the promise of a safe workplace for all and pay tribute to those who lost their lives while working.
The statistics are sobering. Between 1992 and 2009 there were 622 workplace fatalities in Wyoming, an average of one death every ten days.
Workers’ Memorial Day presents an opportunity to step back from statistics, data, fatality rates and epidemiological studies in order to honor those who have perished and listen to the stories of their survivors. We heard one of those stories Friday.
On Feb. 19, 2007, C.J. Moss was electrocuted while working on a drilling rig. He was 26 years old. C.J. was survived by his wife, Natalie Moss, and their four-year-old son. Mrs. Moss spoke to … Read more
Mel C. Orchard of the Spence Law Firm donates time to help resolve local public interest case.
Estate of Jose Gregorio Bautista Leon vs. Jacob Hill
On June 29, 2010, in Teton County, Idaho Mr. Bautista Leon, 60, was riding his bicycle from an after work dinner party to his home when he was struck from behind by a 1981 GMC pickup truck driven by Jacob Hill. Mr. Bautista Leon, who had been working legally in the United States, died shortly thereafter as a result of his injuries leaving behind a wife and two children in Mexico. Following the accident, Mr. Hill tampered with evidence by removing the rear reflector of the bicycle and throwing it into a field. In addition, the vehicle did not have adequate headlamps or windshield wipers. Mr. Bautista Leon was an avid cyclist and marathon runner who had lighting on both the front and rear … Read more
Wyoming’s workers should take time to read Dr. Timothy Ryan’s memorandum to Gov. Matt Mead, “Occupational Fatality Recommendations.” The Dec. 19 report brightly illuminates the need for sweeping changes in state policy to ensure the safety of Wyoming’s workers.
Wyoming had the nation’s highest or second highest workplace fatality rate in the country for eight of the nine years between 2001 and 2009. In 2010 there were 34 workplace fatalities in Wyoming, a 78 percent increase from 2009. While the total number of injuries has declined, “… major injuries remain a problem” with some 700 workers hospitalized every year — and that number is increasing.
We support Dr. Ryan’s four main recommendations calling for more data collection and monitoring, more encouragement of industry efforts to reform itself, and more courtesy inspections by OSHA, which allow companies to have a state safety inspection without fear of citations for violations of safety … Read more
Kristeen Hand, of The Spence Law Firm Firm, LLC, was interviewed for a New York Times article recently after reports came out of the dire circumstances surrounding worker safety in our state.Read: Report Blames Safety Lapses, here or call us today, at 1-800-967-2117.… Read more
A Wyoming worker who lost his leg when he was run over by a railcar at a Wyoming trona mine and soda ash facility has agreed to a confidential settlement with the defendant mining company, his former employer. G. Bryan Ulmer and Tyson E. Logan of The Spence Law Firm, LLC represented the worker and his wife. The Spence Firm had filed the injured worker’s claims under the Federal Employer Liability Act (FELA) and the Wyoming Railroad Act (WRA) against the employer mine / railroad company in Wyoming federal district court.
This case alleged numerous railroad liability claims against the company for the dangerous and defective equipment at the rail loadout facility in Green River, Wyoming. Specifically, the complaint alleged that the railcar’s cut lever stuck as the employee attempted to uncouple one railcar from another during the loadout process, and the train suddenly lurched on the tracks.
The suit … Read more
Wyoming State Bar President Brian Hultman presented the President’s Award to The Spence Law Firm, at this year’s Wyoming State Bar Annual Meeting & Judicial Conference. The award is reserved for a special person or organization that has a special meaning to the President. President Hultman noted the Firm’s commitment to the State Bar, and to the the Bar’s programs, events, and committees.
The Spence Law Firm’s partners consistently volunteer their time to be involved in important and meaningful committee/commission work with the Wyoming State Bar. For example, lawyers from The Spence Law Firm are currently serving on the Access to Justice Commission, the Wyoming Center for Legal Aid Boards of Directors, the Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics, the Civil Pattern Jury Instructions Committee, and the Mentoring Committee. Several Spence Law Firm attorneys also participate in the Wyoming State Bar’s Liberty Day Program, teaching fifth-grade students about the U.S. … Read more
A federal agency’s negligent removal of bear warning signs in the Kitty Creek area of the Shoshone National Forest led to the fatal grizzly bear mauling of a 70-year-old botanist last year, according to a lawsuit filed in Wyoming federal court by The Spence Law Firm, LLC.
The wrongful death lawsuit alleges the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST), responsible for long-term bear research in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, removed warning signs near the research site three days early and in violation of federal protocols.
Erwin Evert was killed on June 17, 2010 near the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park by an adult male grizzly bear that was captured, drugged and radio collared by U.S. Department of Interior personnel hours earlier. Mr. Evert had left his cabin for a walk approximately 30 minutes after the crew pulled their warning signs.
Mr. Evert’s widow, Yolanda Evert, and his daughter, Mara … Read more
Mel C. Orchard, III, and M. Kristeen Hand, The Spence Law Firm, LLC, in association with attorney Howard Jacobs, recently settled a wrongful death case against a Utah youth care facility. 14 year old Brendan Blum died in June 2007 at the Aspen Education Group’s private, for-profit residential care and treatment center in Draper, Utah, after he fell ill, experiencing vomiting, abdominal pain, and incontinence.
In 2007 Dana Blum, a California resident, placed her 14 year old son, Brendan, into its care, for the management of his diagnosed conditions of Asperger’s Syndrome, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and severe Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Approximately four months later in June at about 11 pm, while in the care and custody of Respondents, Brendan awoke extremely ill. He experienced severe vomiting, abdominal pain, and incontinence.
The night residential staff gave him a small amount of Sprite, water and Pepto-Bismol only, forced him to … Read more
A fatal semi-truck crash occurred earlier this week in Wyoming. The truck accident occurred on September 10, 2011, ten miles outside of Laramie, Wyoming on Interstate 80, when the truck driver of a semi-tractor trailer rammed into the back of a slower moving Volkswagen van, spinning the van off the road where it rolled two complete times. According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the two occupants in the van were ejected, one man was killed in the accident, the other is in intensive care. Both men were volunteers at Mammoth Brewing Co. The driver of the truck told the investigating troopers that he reached for his cell phone to answer it, and when he looked back at the road, the van was right in front of him. According to reports, the truck driver was cited for careless driving.
The Spence Law Firm, LLC litigates against major trucking companies from coast … Read more
Wyoming is consistently one of the most dangerous states in the nation for workers. Due in large part to its natural resources and undulating energy booms, Wyoming has become an unacceptably dangerous place for tens of thousands of its citizens to make a living. On August 30th 2011, Wyoming Public Radio reported that Wyoming had 34 workplace fatalities in 2010, an alarming 80% increase from 2009. One day before the 2010 statistics were released, an oil rig explosion and fire at a Samson Resources oil production facility in Converse County killed three men. Then, on September 1st, a 29 year old man was fatally injured while working at the Peabody Energy owned North Antelope Rochelle Mine in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. We had hoped 2009 represented the culmination of an improved commitment to safety for Wyoming. Instead, based on the 2010 figures and tragedies of last week, 2009 appears to … Read more
UPDATE: The Spence Law Firm is continuing to investigate last Monday’s explosion that killed three workers laying fuel line at Samson Resources Company’s Wyoming oil storage site. Early reports indicate that the explosion may have been caused by a fuel line that was being installed at the plant. The explosion also caused a serious fire in the area. The explosion killed workers Llewellyn Dort of Casper and Gerardo Alatorre of Mills, employees of Wild West Construction, and James Turner of Casper, an employee of Double D Welding & Fabrication. Federal and Wyoming State officials are also continuing to investigate the cause of the explosion.
The Spence Law Firm is taking immediate steps to investigate the cause of the explosion. Samson Resources Co. is believed to be the owner of the facility, and the victims, contract workers, were employed by Wild West Construction and Double D Welding & Fabrication (contractors for … Read more
The Spence Law Firm is working with Seattle attorneys Patrick Cook and Kathleen Kindred, in what is being called the worst drilling rig natural gas accident in Washington state history. The suit stems from July 25, 2008 flash fire and explosion that seriously injured workers, who were performing contract work on the drilling rig at the time of the accident. Four contract workers were severely burned and injured in the accident after pipe was pulled out of the hole at the drilling rig. The case, against defendants Delta Petroleum Corporation, Sierra Engineering, and several others, is set for jury trial in March of 2012.
Complex oilfield disasters like this one require team of experienced attorneys and experts to get answers and uncover the truth about who is responsible. The Spence Law Firm has over fifty years of experience investigating and litigating oil and gas related accidents. The Spence Law Firm … Read more
G. Bryan Ulmer and The Spence Law Firm recently settled a federal civil rights wrongful death lawsuit with the State of Wyoming, on behalf of Bruce James Weigel’s family. The $500,000 settlement with the state ends the suit, that the family brought against the State after troopers handcuffed and pinned Weigel against the ground at the side of the highway, causing his death by mechanical asphyxiation.
Read more about the case at CBS 5 News Cheyenne or call us today, at 1-800-967-2117.… Read more
The Spence Law Firm filed a federal lawsuit August 29th on behalf of a Wyoming doctor who was defamed by a nurse who paid over five thousand dollars to mail false flyers about the doctor to over fourteen thousand Wyoming households last December. Read more at www.codyenterprise.com.… Read more
An explosion at an oil storage site killed three workers early Monday morning, outside of Glenrock, Wyoming. Early reports indicate that the explosion may have been caused by a fuel line that was being installed at the plant. The explosion also caused a serious fire in the area.
The Spence Law Firm is taking immediate steps to investigate the cause of the explosion, as workers and their families will need answers to what happened. Samson Resources Co. is believed to be the owner of the facility, and the injured contract workers were employed by a contractor for Samson.
Monday’s explosion shows a continuing need for increased safety for Wyoming’s workers. The Spence Law Firm has actively worked to increase workers safety laws in our state, to ensure that employers and facility owners are accountable for their actions, and to protect the rights of workers injured or killed performing dangerous work … Read more
G. Bryan Ulmer, The Spence Law Firm, LLC, has filed suit in federal court in Wyoming on behalf of Andrea Graham, who was seriously injured when she slipped on black ice that had been ignored by gas station workers at the Common Cents Food Store in Casper, Wyoming.
The suit alleges that Graham slipped and fell on the ice that had accumulated around the pumps as a result of the employees’ refusal to apply ice-melt to the area. Graham was attempting to walk around her vehicle to the self-service pump, at the time she fell on the dangerous ground. She hit her head, and suffered serious injuries.
The case has been assigned to Judge Nancy Freudenthal, and will be set for jury trial in Cheyenne, Wyoming.… Read more
