Defective Product - Prestage v. Sperry-New Holland

Our client, a 21-year-old farmer, was working on his 1969 Ford New Holland combine when an accident cost him his leg. He was using the machine to harvest and thresh wheat. In this type of combine, after the wheat is collected, the machine separates the heads from the straw and deposits the heads in a holding tank. The separation is facilitated by two rotating augers, a leveling auger and a discharge auger. They help to move the grain through the machine. At the time of the accident, the discharge auger was clogged, and our client was trying to reach a stick to fix it. As he leaned forward, however, his shirt was caught on the bolt of the leveling auger, and he was pulled down into the tank. His foot slipped beneath the discharge auger’s shield and was severely injured. He had to have his leg amputated below the knee. We argued that the combine’s protruding bolt was defective, the shields insufficient, and the manufacturer’s manual deficient in explaining how to safely fix discharge auger clogs. Although Prestage was found to be partly at fault, the jury found the manufacturer strictly liable. Our client was awarded $1.4 million, and his wife was awarded $212,250.