A 23-year-old construction worker was run over by a tractor made by a major U.S. manufacturer of construction equipment. The tractor did not have an audible alarm to signal workers when it was in motion, and, as a result, the young man did not hear the tractor and suffered extensive crush injuries to his lower extremities when it ran over him.

In the ensuing lawsuit, Edmund J. Scanlan presented an expert witness who demonstrated that as a result of the defective design of the tractor, anyone operating it had an eight-foot blind spot preventing the operator from seeing individuals working near the tractor. Armed with this powerful evidence, Scanlan was able to demonstrate that the manufacturer was negligent in failing to install the alarm. Accordingly, he recovered $500,000 from the manufacturer for the injured worker.