A Cook County judge last week awarded a Wisconsin man $15.2 million in connection with an incident in which his foot was run over by a 58,000-pound forklift.
Thomas Neuhengen, 33, of Cudahy, Wisconsin, was working at the massive convention center as part of his job as spare parts manager for Hermle Machine Co., which was exhibiting milling machines at the 2012 International Manufacturing Technology show at Chicago’s McCormick Place, according to news reports.
Neuhengen and a crew were tearing down the company’s booth at the end of the show when he was knocked down by a forklift, which then ran over his left foot.
He required four surgeries and the use of leeches to keep his blood circulating as he recovered. While doctors were able to save most of Neuhengens’ foot, he will feel the effects for the rest of his life, according to his attorneys.
Iraq Veteran Injured After Returning Home
Neuhengen, who served as a staff sergeant in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and saw two tours in Iraq, lost his ability to walk normally as a result of the accident, which has been called one of the worst in McCormick Place’s history.
After the incident, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the show’s producers for four safety violations.
The accident occurred after a state-mandated overhaul of McCormick Place’s operations allowed for smaller labor crews. The move was aimed at reducing exhibitor’s costs and making Chicago more competitive with rival cities for the nation’s biggest conventions.
The deal was brokered between Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and then-Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, unions and private contractors that hire laborers to set up and tear down trade shows in the wake of the scandal.
Change in Work Rules May Have Contributed to Accident
Prior to the deal, union rules required the use of two- or three-man crews for certain tasks. But the new pact limited crew sizes to two unless the agency that manages McCormick Place — the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, commonly known as the “McPier” Authority — specifically authorizes it for safety reasons.
Neuhengen has said that the forklift that struck him had a crew of one and no spotters.
The suit named as defendants Global Experience Specialists, Inc., the general contractor the was responsible for setting up and tearing down the show; the McPier Authority; SMG, Inc., the private company brought in to manage McCormick Place in the wake of the cleanup; the Association for Manufacturing Technology, which owns the show; and the forklift’s operator, Frederick Neirinckz, a member of the riggers’ union who was working for GES at the time of the accident.