A superior court jury in Mecklenburg, Ohio awarded $2 million to a truck driver injured by falling cargo.
In 1991, Louis Kilgo was working for National Freight of Vineland, N.J. He was delivering goods to a Sam’s Club store located in Fayeteville, Ohio. He opened the door to his tractor trailer and 1,000 pounds of merchandise loaded by Sam’s Club employees fell on top of him.
The accident caused brain and neck injuries that Mr. Kilgo says left him without a job due to memory lapses, mood swings and numbness in his fingers.
Jeffrey Hyman, Mr. Kilgo’s lawyer, argued that Sam’s Club, and its parent company, Wal-Mart, were responsible for the injuries because it was their employees that failed to properly secure the cargo.
The jury took less than three hours to decide to give $2 million to Mr. Kilgo. The jury also awarded $225,000 to Mr. Kilgo’s wife, Carol, for the damage the accident caused to their marriage.
Wal-Mart, which announced it will appeal the verdict, argued that the real responsibility for the accident lies with either Mr. Kilgo or his employer, National Freight.
