Family of man crushed by electronic gate at Dickies Arena files wrongful death lawsuit
The family of a man crushed by an electronic gate outside Dickies Arena in Fort Worth has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
The legal action filed in Dallas County Court alleges that the nonprofit company that operates Dickies Arena and the contractors who built the concert and sports venue failed to properly install the gate.
Juan Carlos Julian Jr., 24, was killed the morning of Dec. 7, while working an overnight shift at the arena. Julian was employed by Service First Janitorial, a McKinney-based company contracted to provide cleaning services at the arena.
A Fort Worth Star-Telegram investigation in December found his death could have been avoided had the gate been installed according to safety measures recommended by the manufacturer and at least two other organizations.
“Because the decedent did not die immediately, the mechanism of his death caused him intense physical pain and mental anguish for some definite amount of time before he died, and his Estate is entitled (to) those survivor damages from Defendants jointly and severally, plus the expenses of his burial and funeral,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit was filed by the estate of Julian, family members Juan Carlos Julian and Rebeca Ordonez and other beneficiaries against Multipurpose Arena Fort Worth, a nonprofit organization that does business under the name Trail Drive Management Corp.
Also named as defendants in the lawsuit were Beck Group Construction Services LLC, HCBeck LTD, doing business as The Beck Group, and TDIndustries Inc. of Dallas. The Beck Group was the general contractor for construction of Dickies Arena, and TDIndustries Inc. was the project’s mechanical contractor.
The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $1 million.
Officials from Trail Drive Management Corp. and the contractors who built the venue couldn’t immediately be reached to comment.
Julian’s family is represented by lawyer Domingo Garcia, a former state legislator who also serves as national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a nationally known Hispanic organization. The family also is represented by associate attorney Ryan Sorrells.
Although Julian’s death occurred in Tarrant County, the lawsuit was filed in Dallas County, where at least one of the defendants has a principle place of business.
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 11:13 AM.
