Jury Awards $17 Million to Man Who Lost His Leg in Forklift Accident

RIVERSIDE, Calif., July 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A Riverside Superior Court jury awarded Steven Meier $17 million after he had his right leg amputated below the knee due to being run over by a forklift in October 2013.

Mr. Meier, who was a security guard employed by Securitas Security Services, was patrolling at a PennySaver USA facility in Mira Loma, CA, when he was struck from behind by a forklift operating in reverse on October 20, 2013. The forklift crushed Mr. Meier's right leg, dragging him several feet and degloving his lower limb. To dislodge Mr. Meier's leg from underneath the forklift, a second forklift was brought in to lift the first forklift off of Mr. Meier.

Mr. Meier was rushed to Riverside Community Hospital where he underwent various surgeries to repair his leg and ankle.  Over the next year and a half, Mr. Meier underwent eleven surgeries to repair the damage to his leg, foot, and ankle. Due to the large zone of injury, Mr. Meier was plagued with complications, requiring multiple hospitalizations, and surgeries. Ultimately, however, these measures were for naught and on July 21, 2015, a year and a half after the collision, Mr. Meier's right leg was amputated just below the knee. 

Even after the amputation, Mr. Meier had to undergo three revision surgeries, and infections continued to set back his recovery. In September 2016, Mr. Meier was finally fitted for a temporary prosthetic leg, and is expected to get a permanent prosthetic towards the beginning of 2018.

Lead trial counsel for Mr. Meier, Ricardo Echeverria, said after the verdict "We are very pleased that the jury recognized the tragedy that this case presented. The verdict was a fair and reasonable result given the liability and damage issues in the case."

The trial lasted ten days before the jury ruled in favor of Mr. Meier.

The case was Steven Meier v. PennySaver USA, LLC, et al. Riverside Superior Court, Case No. RIC1507069.

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SOURCE Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP