| Jury awards $4.1 million to injured forklift driver |
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MAY 1, 1998 THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT ARCHIVES MAN WHOSE HAND WAS CRUSHED BY FORKLIFT WINS $4.1 MILLION Published: Friday, May 1, 1998 ©1998 Landmark Communications Inc. A jury awarded $4.1 million Thursday to a forklift operator whose hand was crushed in a 1993 industrial accident. The victim, Dwight D. Nichols, 29, of Chesapeake, lost all function in his right hand when it was crushed by a forklift at the Gwaltney of Smithfield meatpacking plant on Dec. 6, 1993. He was right-handed. Nichols sued the forklift's manufacturer, Clark Equipment Co. of Lexington, Ky., and the distributor, Atlantic Lift Systems, Inc. of Norfolk for $11 million. He claimed the forklift was defective. After an eight-day trial in Norfolk Circuit Court, the jury deliberated one hour before reaching its verdict. Nichols' attorneys were Jack W. Drescher, Michael F. Imprevento and John L. Watts, all of the Norfolk law firm of Breit, Drescher & Imprevento. "Obviously we're pretty happy about the verdict," Drescher said. It is among the largest jury verdicts even in Hampton Roads, but it is not the biggest. Two Portsmouth cases in 1997 resulted in verdicts of $20 million and $12 million - the former for a truck accident, the latter for a railroad worker's injury. The Smithfield accident happened as Nichols operated a forklift at the meatpacking plant. He had stopped the forklift with the lift hanging in the air. As Nichols reached inside the forklift to make adjustments, the lift fell down unexpectedly, crushing his hand and arm. The hand was not amputated, but Nichols has undergone 11 or 12 surgeries since then, the lawyer said. Nichols is single and has no children, but he did support his mother and sister before the accident, Drescher said. He in now unemployed. The lawsuit accused Clark and Atlantic Lift of negligently designing, manufacturing and marketing the forklift. The case was pending 2 1/2 years before it went to trail. Correction: A $4.1 million jury verdict Thursday in Norfolk was against Clark Equipment Co. of Lexington, Ky., but not against Atlantic Lift Systems, Inc. of Norfolk. Atlantic was originally a defendant in the case, but was later dropped. A story Friday about the verdict was not clear about that. Correction published Saturday, May 2, 1998 on page A2 of THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
This article is ©1998 Landmark Communications Inc., and may not be republished without permission. If you have questions or comments about the archives, please send us feedback. Awarded: $4,100,000 |
Some people say personal injury law is just about money. It's not.
It's about rebuilding the face of a young girl shattered by a drunk driver. It's about college money for 2 young boys, their father killed by a speeding tractor trailer.