Verdicts & Settlements
Trucker awarded $1 million for injury
A federal jury Monday night awarded a Wilkes-Barre man $1 million for injuries suffered at a warehouse two years ago. Alan Cirko, 40, was delivering goods to the Wakefern warehouse in Elizabeth, N.J. when another worker operating a pallet jack ran over his foot with the equipment, said one of Cirko's attorneys, Marion Munley. Cirko, a truck driver for National Freight, had a dock door next to Terry Smith, another truck driver for Silver Eagle Transport, on March 29, 1995. Smith, of Florida, wasn't looking when he backed up the pallet Jack and crushed Cirko's foot, Munley said. The Jury found Smith 100 percent responsible for Cirko's Injuries. The jury also found the warehouse negligent, but not the cause of Cirko?s Injuries. The trial, in U.S. Middle District Court, Scranton, lasted six days. Munley said Cirko is no longer able to drive a truck and is limited in the type of work he can do. Munley and her brother, Christopher, both of Scranton, represented Cirko. Attorney Charles W. Rubendall of Harrisburg, represented Smith and Silver Eagle. Attorney Thomas Bradley of Philadelphia represented Wakefern.
