$635,000 for Head Injury in Store
A Somerset County jury awarded $635,000 to a man who suffered a head injury at a Home Depot store.
David Testa of Green Village was looking at shelving in the Mansfield store in 2002, when a package of wood fell off a shelf, about five feet high, and struck him. His lawyer says that a cable that was supposed to prevent products falling off the shelf was not properly attached.
The blow herniated two discs in Testa's neck and aggravated his pre-existing spinal problem, spondylolisthesis, resulting in neck and back pain. Testa underwent physical therapy and missed 38 days from his job as a firefighter in Montclair.
Home Depot, insured by Hartford Insurance co., offered $33,000 to settle at the start of trial. The jury awarded $625,000 for pain and suffering and $10,000 in lost wages.
This case summary appeared in the December 27, 2004 Suits and Deals section of the New Jersey Law Journal. More detailed information on this suit can be read there.