Juan “Mikey” Cruz’s life changed forever five years ago — and not in a good way.
An industrial accident at a Hartford warehouse dropped a 1,300-pound load of lighting equipment from a 20-foot-high rack directly on top of Cruz, who is now 48.
The outcomes were disastrous. His spine had literally split in half.
According to his attorneys, Cruz will never walk again because of paralysis from the belly button down.
Lawyers were hired, lawsuits were filed, and on Wednesday, Oct. 5, Cruz and his wife, Emily Cruz, were awarded what is believed to be Connecticut’s highest-ever civil lawsuit award.
According to the Connecticut Trial Firm, based in Glastonbury, a six-person jury in Hartford Superior Court awarded Cruz the staggering sum of $100 million.
According to the plaintiffs, the defendant — Philips Lighting, now known as Signify North America Corp. — failed to shrink wrap the equipment on the pallet, resulting in an unsecure load and the tragic accident on September 17, 2017.
Attorney Andrew Garza, lead trial attorney and a Connecticut Trial Firm partner, represented Cruz.
Garza was joined by lawyers Ryan McKeen (a fellow partner and the firm’s CEO), Andrew Ranks, and Alexa Mahony.
“This wasn’t just a case of negligence.” “It’s about a family’s life being turned upside down by a catastrophic event that took away a man’s ability to work, function in his daily life, and get on the floor to play with his grandkids,” Garza said in a statement to Patch on Friday morning. “The most infuriating part is that it was completely avoidable.”
“This is the outcome they deserve,” McKeen added. “Their lives will never be the same again, but I hope this decision makes Mikey and Emily feel seen and heard.”