The award in New Jersey Superior Court for the accident at the Stavola Asphalt plant included $11.5 million for injuries and $3 million in interest on that amount. The jury agreed unanimously that the negligence of plant owners, the Stavola Management Co., was responsible for the injuries.
David H. Green, who was then 40, was crushed about the head and upper torso under the wheels of the dump truck that struck him while he was working. As a result, he suffered the loss of one eye, impaired hearing, multiple fractures and total permanent disability.
His attorneys, Angelo and Robert Bianchi, said the verdict in the seven-week trial was, according to court records, one of the largest of its type ever handed down in New Jersey. The jury decision came after plaintiffs' rejected a $2 million settlement offer.
"You are always fearful," said Robert Bianchi, "when on the basis of your counsel, clients reject a multi-million dollar offer. But when you have right on your side, you hope accident victims like the Greens will not be tempted by an inadequate sum and will leave the case to the jury."