$1.55 Million Verdict in Pennsylvania Case Where SEAK Forklift Safety Expert Witness Testifies

Case: Eugene B. Kreitz, Plaintiff, vs. Norfolk Southern Railway Company v. Gregory Poole Equipment Company and Equipment Depot, Court of Common Pleas, First Judicial District. Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Civil Division. Docket No. 02800, March Term, 2011.

Expert Witness Listed in SEAK’s Expert Witness Directory:  Franklin “Chip” Darius, Jr.

Expert Witness’s Relevant Area(s) of Expertise: OSHA, Safety, Forklifts

Verdict: $1.55 Million

Date of Verdict: December 11, 2012

Counsel for Plaintiff: Greg Hannon, Esq., Hannon Law Offices, P.C.

Other: The plaintiff railroad worker was elevated in a work platform attached to the forks of a rough-terrain forklift. Plaintiff suffered disabling injuries including a fractured heel when, while the forks and platform were being lowered by the forklift operator, the forks and platform suddenly fell about 7 feet to the ground. Key issues in the matter were use and misuse of the forklift, maintenance and preventive maintenance, duties of the forklift operator and the worker on the platform, and forklift equipment visual inspections and operational tests. Mr. Darius was retained by plaintiff’s counsel to opine on forklift-related safety requirements, forklift operating practices, OSHA forklift regulations and national consensus standards on powered industrial trucks.