The family of a Texas iron worker who was killed on the job in 2014 sued his employer for wrongful death, and the jury ruled in their favor in a big way.

Jose Suarez was working for Derr and Isbell Construction, one of the companies hired to build a pedestrian bridge to the Baylor University football stadium. He was working on a boom lift that was located on top of a barge in the Brazos River. He was tied off to the lift, and the lift fell into the river. He was not able to untie himself and drowned in the river. He left behind a wife and three children.

His family claimed that the company lacked the necessary safety procedures that would have prevented his death. Lawyers found that the construction company Austin Bridge & Road did not tell workers about specific safety procedures that would have protected them, in order to try and get work done faster. The boom lifts were driven around on the barges fairly regularly and they were often not chained to the barges. The one Mr. Suarez was working on fell into the river was not chained down to the barge. The barge did not have railing or barricades on the edge. Workers were allegedly behind schedule already and driving lifts around the barge, rather than moving the barge itself to a new location, took less time. The safety personnel working for the defendants claimed they were not onsite at the time of the accident.

Other defendants named in the suit who were ultimately not held responsible were Genie Industries (who manufactured the boom lift), Flexifloat Construction Systems, Austin Commercial Inc. and Derr and Isbell Construction Inc. Derr and Isbell did receive a citation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for one serious violation for failing to secure the lift to the barge, and they settled on paying a $5,000 fine.

The jury in the trial decided that Austin Bridge and Road should be responsible for his death, and awarded the family of Mr. Suarez $17,720,000.