 Victim will get a USD9 million settlement. PHOTO: DREAMSTIME.COM |
A man whose leg was amputated after being run over by a forklift twice has settled for USD9 million in his lawsuit against a series of companies and the staffing agency that assigned him to the warehouse where he was injured.
According to a report in
Law.com, the settlement was reached between Charles Jones and Mill Corp., Newman & Company, and Bridgeview Paper Company, United States Recycling and staffing agency Corestaff Inc.
Jones was run over twice by a forklift operated by Mill Corp. employee Emmitt Johnson at the Newman & Company warehouse in North Philadelphia in July 2015.
"Mr. Johnson readily admits that, when he ran over Charles, he was not looking where he was going, but instead was operating the forklift in reverse while counting bales of stacked material," Jones' papers said. "He admits he never sounded his horn and never brought the forklift to a stop before reversing around the corner. He admits that his conduct was 'inexcusable from a safety standpoint'. In sum, Mr. Johnson admits that he violated all basic rules of forklift safety on the date of this tragedy, as a direct result of which he did not see Charles and ran him over."
"This was much more than a simple forklift accident case. Defendants raised numerous, workplace-specific defences that we targeted and attacked throughout discovery," says Jones' attorney, Andrew Duffy. "We are pleased that Mr. Jones will now receive the care he requires as well as the compensation he deserves."
After the accident, Jones underwent nine surgeries in an effort to save his leg, but in the end, was forced to undergo a below-the-knee amputation.