A Maine judge awarded a Machias, ME, man close to $730,000 in damages for injuries he sustained following a heat stroke collapse, reports the Bangor Daily News.
The newspaper says Michael Lund sued Millard A. Whitey & Sons in 2015, claiming the berry farm did not prepare him for the burning of a field, work he says he had never done before.
Lund allegedly became disoriented during the second burn of the afternoon of March 22, 2012 and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where his body temperature was 108°F and was unresponsive and in respiratory failure. He was transferred to Eastern Main Medical Center in Bangor, ME, and was released after four days. Lund says he still suffers pain in his right shoulder and lower legs, which limits his activities.
In a jury-waved trial in September, Superior Court Justice William Anderson found evidence that Millard A. Whitney & Sons did not educate workers to recognize the signs and dangers of heat stroke. Anderson also said Lund did nothing to contribute to his own injuries.
The Daily News says Anderson awarded Lund $68,845 in medical expenses, $165,000 in lost income, $400,000 for pain and suffering, and $96,000 for permanent injuries.