$6.5 Million Houston Work Accident Verdict Won for Injured Electrician

A Harris County jury has awarded $6.5 million to Mark Miller, an electrician who suffered life-changing injuries at a Houston construction site. Arnold & Itkin trial attorneys Trent Shelton and Wes Hook secured the verdict after years of litigation against the companies responsible for the project. The verdict holds the general contractor accountable for failures in supervision and worksite safety that left Mark with serious injuries to his head, neck, and back.

What Happened to Mark Miller

On August 24, 2017, Mark was working as an electrician on a construction project in Houston. While standing in a dimly lit stairwell, he was struck in the head with a hammer by another worker at the site. The blow knocked Mark unconscious and caused him to fall down a flight of stairs. He suffered severe injuries to his head, neck, and back.

A Case About Failed Supervision & Worksite Safety

This case was not simply about the dangerous conduct of one worker. It was about the companies responsible for the project and their failure to protect the people working there.

At trial, Trent and Wes showed that those in charge of the site failed to adequately supervise workers, investigate and respond to dangerous conduct, and take the basic precautions necessary to maintain a safe workplace. Those failures allowed a preventable incident to leave Mark with injuries he will carry for the rest of his life.

The jury listened to the evidence and returned a $6.5 million verdict in Mark’s favor.

CIVE, Inc., the general contractor on the project, was represented by more than a dozen attorneys from the Houston-based law firm Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing.

“Workplace Safety Is a Responsibility, Not a Suggestion”

Lead trial attorney Trent Shelton said after the verdict:

“Mark went to work that day expecting to do his job and come home safely. Instead, failures by those responsible for that worksite left him with injuries that changed his life. Workplace safety is a responsibility, not a suggestion. When companies fail to protect the people working for them and alongside them, there must be consequences. We are grateful the jury listened carefully to Mark’s story and delivered a verdict that recognizes what he has been through.”

Why This Verdict Matters

Construction sites bring together workers from different trades, contractors, and companies, often in fast-moving and potentially dangerous conditions. Protecting those workers requires more than written safety policies. It requires active supervision, adequate training, prompt responses to dangerous conduct, and a willingness to address hazards before someone gets hurt. When the companies overseeing a project fail to meet those responsibilities, workers and their families are left to bear the consequences.

The jury’s verdict recognizes both the seriousness of Mark’s injuries and the failures that allowed them to happen. It also sends a clear message to companies responsible for construction projects: worksite safety cannot be treated as optional.

Fighting for Injured Workers, No Matter What

Mark’s case required years of litigation against a well-funded corporate defendant and a large defense team. That is often what it takes to secure justice for workers whose lives have been changed by preventable injuries.

Arnold & Itkin has won billions of dollars for injured workers and families facing powerful companies. Our Houston work accident attorneys prepare every case to go to trial, commit the resources necessary to uncover the truth, and stay in the fight for as long as it takes.