Huntington Beach : Laborer Gets $1-Million Settlement for Accident

A construction laborer accepted more than $1 million Monday to settle a lawsuit in which he claimed a partial permanent disability after a 1984 accident at a Huntington Beach oil field.

John Lodestein, 30, of Garden Grove, agreed to the deal, which was worked out before Superior Court Judge Philip E. Schwab.

Lodestein will receive a lump sum of $250,000 plus $2,500 per month, with inflation increases over his lifetime, according to his attorney, Jerrold A. Bloch. Payments over his expected lifetime would total about $2.6 million, according to Bloch.

The settlement also includes a $40,000 education fund for Lodestein’s 10-year-old son, Paul.

“This will give him a chance to get back on his feet. They’re a hard-working family,” said Bloch.

Lodestein was employed by Heath Construction Corp., which was completing work at the Aminoil Inc. field on Golden West Street. Lodestein was injured when a water pipe burst during construction, mangling his leg, blinding him in one eye and damaging the other, according to papers in the court file.