Jury Awards Worker $100M in Personal Injury Case

A jury has awarded a Connecticut family $100 million after a work-related injury left a man paralyzed.

The incident dates back to September, 2017 when Juan Cruz was working at a warehouse on Locust Street in Hartford. 

According to the Hartford Courant, a temporary worker operating a truck in the warehouse knocked a lighting cube off a rack, crushing Cruz, who was walking through the warehouse aisle. 

A short time later, Cruz sued the Signify North America Corp., formerly Philips Lighting for negligence. 

After years of litigation, the case went to a jury trial. 

On Oct. 5, 2022, a Hartford jury awarded $90 million in damages to Cruz for Philips’ negligence, and another $10 million to his wife.

“This case serves as a strong reminder to employers of the need for employers to follow their established safety rules and also of the need to make sure that temporary workers are fully abiding by company safety standards,” CBIA compensation services and safety director Phillip Montgomery said.