Truck Driver Awarded $8 MILLION After Losing His Leg in Loading Accident With Forklift

Woodland, CA – A California truck driver who lost his leg in a loading accident in 2017 has been awarded nearly $8 million by a Yolo County jury.

On Monday in Yolo Superior Court, a jury returned a verdict awarding truck driver Bhupinder Singh and his wife Reena Rani, of Clovis, CA, $7.9 million in damages stemming from a July 21, 2017 accident at a warehouse owned by Capay Inc.

Capay is a second-generation produce farming business based in Capay, CA.

According to Singh’s attorneys, Ricardo Echeverria and Stuart Chandler, the truck driver was injured when he was struck by a forklift as Singh’s truck was being loaded with pallets of tomatoes.

The gruesome injury to Singh’s right leg resulted in an amputation below the knee.

According to Singh’s lawsuit against Capay, he accused the forklift operator of failing to “use proper caution in operating his vehicle.”

“Bhupinder was going about doing his job like any other normal day when this catastrophic and life-altering accident happened,” Echeverria, Singh’s lead counsel, said in a news release.

Singh’s complaint argued he can no longer work as a truck driver, though he is currently employed as a dispatcher.

Additionally, Singh’s legal team asserted his injury has left him permanently unable to do simple things he enjoys such as take a walk with his wife and play with his children.

The three-week trial began in March, but was postponed due to a shelter-in-place order.

However, the trial resumed on June 29 and concluded on July 6, according to a report by local news outlet the Davis Enterprise.

Capay’s attorneys argued Singh should have known not to be near the forklift while it was in operation.

However, they apportioned 25 percent of the “comparative fault” to Singh for not taking more precautions which is why his portion of the judgement is $7.9 million.

It is unclear at this time if Capay intends to appeal the decision.