Photo of forklift during H+A site inspection.
In September 2015, a 54-year-old male was severely injured while operating a forklift to load a semi-truck from a loading dock. As he was doing so, the driver of the truck pulled away unexpectedly, causing him and his forklift to fall to the concrete below. Because of his low back injuries and his inability to enjoy activities of daily living and hobbies or to work, the Plaintiff brought suit against the driver and the trucking company.
Wilson C. “Toby” Hayes, Ph.D., of Hayes + Associates, Inc., was retained by Attorney Lance Northcutt of Goldberg, Weisman & Cairo to determine if the impact forces transmitted to the Plaintiff’s low back from the forklift hitting the concrete were sufficient to cause acute injury or exacerbation of the Plaintiff’s degenerative spinal conditions.
In the analysis, H+A used fundamental physics and what is known about injury thresholds for the lumbar spine to show that negligent operation of the truck caused the Plaintiff’s injuries.
The case settled in favor of the Plaintiff, awarding $4.5 million for damages and losses.
