Jury selection and trial are slated for late June in a $75,000 negligence lawsuit against the management and operations contractor for the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
According to a scheduling order filed Friday, Henry Bradley’s case against Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) will head to trial on or after June 25, 2020. Hearing the case is Judge Terry Wooten in U.S. District Court in South Carolina.
At the time of the November 2018 lawsuit, Bradley was employed by Savannah River Remediation (SRR), the liquid waste contractor at the 310-square-mile facility near Aiken, S.C. It is unclear if he is still employed by the vendor.
Bradley alleged he was injured in November 2015 while conducting work for Savannah River Remediation. But the injuries resulted from failed equipment owned by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, his legal team wrote in the complaint.
The complaint does not state how long Bradley worked for SRR or in what capacity, but says his duties required him to “load and haul certain waste and other loads.” At the time of the reported incident, Bradley was securing a load of unidentified waste material to the floor of a trailer so he could haul it off. While doing this, he fell through a hole in rotted wood, causing injuries to his spine, groin, and right shoulder, according to his lawsuit.
Bradley is seeking at least $75,000, payment of all legal fees, and a trial by jury.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions argued that since Savannah River Remediation was in possession of the trailer, Bradley should have relied on his employer to alert him to any issues or deficiencies with the equipment.
The parties have several steps before now and the start of trial, according to the scheduling order. For starters, SRNS must submit subpoenaed records by May 14. By April 2, the two sides must wrap up the discovery, or fact-finding, portion of the case. By May 11, the parties must complete mediation, which is a final attempt to settle the matter ahead of trial. Then, by May 18, SRNS and Bradley’s legal team must exchange pretrial disclosures, which grant each party access to all relevant information ahead of trial.
Savannah River Remediation is a partnership of Amentum, Bechtel National, Jacobs, and BWX Technologies. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions is a partnership of Fluor, Honeywell, and Stoller Newport News Nuclear.
