Severely Injured Line Worker Thankful Following Lengthy Trial

Vermont line worker went to Maine to personally thank lawyers and staff who spent four and a half years on his lawsuit against a communications company

 A Vermont line worker traveled to Maine Friday to say thank you to the law firm that helped him win a multi-million dollar lawsuit.

Michael Hemond was seriously injured back in 2006 when a switch he was ordered to pull sent 46,000 volts of electricity through his body.

Hemond lost both of his legs in the accident. He filed a lawsuit against the company that installed the switch, Frontier Communications.

A Maine lawyer with Berman and Simmons in Lewiston took on the case and spent the last four years seeing it through the court system.

A jury trial ended with a verdict in favor of Michael Hemond. He was awarded more
than $20 million. It was the second largest jury award in Vermont history.

A post trial mediation lowered that amount and in an email Frontier Communications said, "The matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties."

For Hemond, the verdict was a vindication that he did nothing wrong the day of the accident.

Hemond's attorney, Ben Gideon said the jury clearly believed his argument that the company installed an improper switch that was never grounded creating an accident waiting to happen.

Gideon said the jury sent a message with its verdict that, "it was going to hold big companies responsible for the decisions they made."

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