Judge awards blueberry worker nearly $730,000 in heat stroke collapse

BANGOR, Maine — A judge on Wednesday awarded a Machias man nearly $730,000 in damages for lasting injuries he suffered when he collapsed more than four years ago during the burning of a blueberry field.

Michael Lund, 38, sued Milliard A. Whitney & Sons last year. He claimed the company was negligent in preparing him for a kind of work he had never done.

Superior Court Justice William Anderson held a jury-waived trial last month at the Penobscot Judicial Center.

“The defendants are in the business of growing and harvesting blueberries and burning their fields is an integral part of their business,” Anderson wrote. “They should have been aware that heat illness is a worker safety hazard, even to the crew burning fields in the early spring. The burn crew does not always consist of seasoned veterans.”

Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2016/10/27/news/bangor/judge-awards-blueberry-worker-nearly-730000-in-heat-stroke-collapse/