Porter County jury awards $19.3M in crane injury case

A Porter County, Indiana jury awarded $18.5 million to an injured truck driver and $800,000 to his wife after a workplace crane incident led to a toe amputation and CRPS. The verdict came after a two-hour deliberation and found the plaintiff 0% at fault.

Why it matters: - The verdict adds up to $19.3 million, a major workplace-injury award tied to a crane loading process. - The case centered on whether changed loading procedures and equipment use created unsafe conditions that left a truck driver permanently injured and unable to return to work. - The jury assigned zero percent fault to the injured truck driver, which strengthened the plaintiffs’ recovery.

What happened: - A Porter County jury awarded $18.5 million to a truck driver and $800,000 to his wife after a trial over a crane-related workplace injury. - The verdict was entered in Porter Superior Court 5 in Case No. 64D05-2401-CT-000274. - Custy Law Firm and Michael Carter represented the plaintiffs at trial. - The jury deliberated about two hours before returning the verdict. - Defense counsel argued in closing that the truck driver was 50% at fault and said $3.5 million would be an appropriate award.

The details: - According to the complaint and trial evidence, Steel Warehouse changed how it loaded steel plates onto delivery trailers in the summer of 2022. - The company shifted from layered loading to lifting entire orders in a single motion with the widest plates at the bottom. - Trial testimony said the steel bowed during lifts under that method. - The crane operator testified that he had previously lost a load. - Workers responded to the operator’s concerns by securing the crane’s lifting equipment with tow chains and lever load binders. - The binders were not designed to suspend loads. - When the binders were hard to release, workers began using a metal bar to force them open. - Testimony described that practice as contrary to standard manufacturer warnings. - Witnesses said the company did not train employees on the revised procedure. - Witnesses also said the company did not conduct a hazard assessment or recertify the modified crane configuration before use. - On Jan. 19, 2023, a supervisor lost control of the bar while trying to release a binder on a 42,000-pound load being loaded onto the truck driver’s trailer. - The bar struck the driver’s left foot. - The driver later had his great toe amputated. - He was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS, and received a spinal cord stimulator implant. - He has not returned to work as a truck driver. - Additional information about the case is available on Custy Law Firm’s blog article.

Between the lines: - The verdict suggests the jury accepted the plaintiffs’ view that the injury flowed from procedural changes and safety failures, not the truck driver’s conduct. - The defense’s fault argument did not persuade the jury. - The award also reflects damages beyond the initial foot injury, including chronic pain and long-term work loss.

What’s next: - Any post-trial motions or appeal could affect the final recovery. - The verdict may be reduced later depending on comparative fault, contributory negligence or appellate review. - Custy Law Firm said past results do not predict future outcomes and each case depends on its own facts and law.

The bottom line: - A Porter County jury handed down a $19.3 million verdict in a workplace crane case that left a truck driver with a toe amputation, chronic pain and no return to work.