A federal jury has awarded $282,750 to a West Helena man injured while helping to get a garbage truck unstuck.
Marlo Griffin said an employee of DWD of Arkansas LLC came to his door, asking for help. The garbage truck was stuck under a Suddenlink Communications’ cable wire that was hanging low, the lawsuit said.
The worker said he had been trying to get the truck free for half an hour with no luck. A cable wire had gotten stuck to the pan that holds the garbage. The cable prevented the truck from moving.
Griffin agreed to help and got a ladder to climb on top of the truck, which was about 15 feet high, the suit said. As Griffin worked to unhinge the wire, it broke. Griffin was thrown off the truck to the ground, where he was knocked unconscious.
He was taken to the hospital in Forrest City and then transferred to the Elvis Presley Trauma Center in Memphis.
Griffin sued DWD and Suddenlink Communications for negligence. Suddenlink settled its case with Griffin before the trial.
After a two-day trial, a jury ruled in favor of Griffin against DWD and found his damages were $435,000. The jury ruled that 65% of the fault was attributable to DWD with the remaining amount to Griffin.
Griffin was represented by attorneys Alvin Simes of Forrest City and David A. Hodges of Little Rock.
DWD was represented by attorneys Shane Baker and Justin Parkey of Waddell Cole & Jones PLLC of Jonesboro.
Baker told Whispers that he couldn’t comment on the case because of pending litigation involving the parties and an insurance company for DWD.
Sign up for Daily E-news
