BELLEVILLE — A woman claims her husband sustained severe injuries after falling from a ladder while working on a shipping container, causing him to suffer until his death two years later.
Julie Huffman, individually and as independent executor of the Estate of Norbert W. Huffman, filed a complaint Sept. 25 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Zaim Mehic and DNJ Intermodal Services LLC, alleging negligence.
According to the complaint, Mehic was picking up a shipping container from Container Port Group Inc. at its yard located in Sauget on Oct. 3, 2018, where her husband Norbert Huffman was working. The suit states that Huffman was on an extension ladder attempting to remove old place card remnants from the driver's side of the shipping container that was on Mehic's tractor trailer. While Huffman was working, Mehic allegedly began to move the truck forward. The plaintiff claims Huffman's ladder then moved and caused him to fall to the ground and suffer injuries to his neck, back, hip, knee, bones, ligaments and tendons that required "substantial" medical and surgical treatment.
The plaintiff alleges the Mehic failed to take "reasonable care and caution" and was distracted while operating his vehicle which caused him to move the truck from a stopped position when it was not safe.
Norbert Huffman died on May 14, but the suit does not allege the October 2018 incident contributed to his death.
Huffman seeks monetary compensation of more than $50,000, trial by jury and all other proper relief. She is represented by Stephen Telken and Troy Walton of Walton Telken LLC in Edwardsville and Kevin Boyne of Kevin Boyne PC in Belleville.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 20-L-0739