Jury Awards $17M to California Man Who Lost Leg in Forklift Accident

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.

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

He was rushed to Riverside Community Hospital where he underwent various surgeries to repair his leg and ankle. Over the next year and a half, Meier underwent eleven surgeries to repair the damage to his leg, foot and ankle. Due to the large zone of injury, Meier suffered complications, requiring multiple hospitalizations and surgeries. Nearly two years after the collision, his right leg was amputated just below the knee.

Meier had to undergo three revision surgeries after the amputation. In September 2016, he was fitted for a temporary prosthetic leg and is expected to get a permanent prosthetic early next year.

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

Efforts to reach the attorneys representing Travelers Insurance, which insured the bankrupt PennySaver company, were unsuccessful Wednesday.

Meier’s attorney, Riccardo Echeverria, said the judgment will be paid in full, and Travelers agreed not to appeal. He said his client is pleased with the verdict.

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

Source: Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP/Associated Press