$404,250 for Workplace Accident
An Essex County jury awarded $539,000 on June 8 to an injured worker but cut his award by 25 percent due to comparative negligence. Osualdo Rodriguez was an employee of Jenny Trading Company which was housed in a Newark building undergoing repairs in 2003. A contractor, Luso Air Company, had rented a scissor lift from DNI Rentals Inc of Newark to remove equipment from the roof.
When DNI's driver delivered the lift to the site, he instructed Luso employees to drive the lift up a ramp. Rodriguez, though not a Luso employee, was one of the few workers on site who spoke English and he agreed. As he drove, the lift slid, crushing his right foot.
The jury found DNI 75 percent liable and Rodriguez 25 percent liable on the theory that he should not have been driving. The jury no-caused Luso.
* This information appeared in the New Jersey Law Journal
