Worker gets $22 million after college football stadium explosion

Jeremy Rose, a construction worker who was seriously burned by an explosion that happened during renovations at one of college football's most historic stadiums, is getting a big payday for his injuries.
Rose has settled his lawsuit against the renovation project's general contractor for $22 million, his attorney announced.
During the 2022 renovations to Camp Randall Stadium, home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team, Rose was severely injured when a foreman used a flame torch to dry a portion of the floor in an enclosed room under the football stadium at the time when Rose and another worker were applying a flammable material to the floor.
As a result of the explosion, Rose sustained burns on over 70 percent of his body, has undergone several surgeries, and has required extensive medical treatment.
Rose's attorney claimed that JP Cullen & Sons, the contractor on the project, failed to properly follow safety standards.
"For over 50 years, the construction industry and insurance companies have recommended the use of hot work permits to increase worker safety," Rose's attorney, Daniel Rottier, said in a statement. "There is a cost in human life and dollars in taking shortcuts when it comes to protecting workers."
The contractor responded by saying: "We will say that our No. 1 priority is the health and safety of everyone on our projects."
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James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.