Court OKs Payment for Man Hurt in Appleton, Wis. Blast

A maintenance worker seriously injured in a 2009 boiler explosion at the Appleton Medical Center will be compensated for his medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering under a $1.6 million settlement approved Tuesday.

The court signed off on the settlement with the boiler service company, BurCon Services, and its insurance company for the injuries of Daniel Quaintance, 56. The Appleton man and his wife will receive $611,000, after payment to his attorneys and $341,000 to his workers compensation carrier, according to his attorney, Joe Troy. The lawsuit was settled before it went to trial, Troy said.

Quaintance was a maintenance mechanic/service technician for the medical center and was following directions from a BurCon technician at the time of the explosion on Oct. 2, 2009. His attorneys claim the technician failed to follow accepted practices.

The explosion blew a manhole cover off the boiler, hitting Quaintance in his head. He had traumatic brain injury, respiratory failure, extreme blood loss, facial fractures, eye damage, hearing loss and some facial nerve damage.

BurCon’s attorneys have claimed that some responsibility is due to what they say is the negligent design of the boiler and are pursuing a claim for contribution to the settlement, according to Quaintance’s lawyers.

A message left at BurCon Services was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Quaintance’s attorneys say he spent more than a month hospitalized after the blast and underwent two surgeries but through rehabilitation and treatment he has returned to his original job.