Squires & Johnson Obtain $12.1 Million Jury Verdict

Posted January 24, 2014 • News

and recently tried a two week civil lawsuit in McLennan County on behalf of Kenneth Edd McGowan, a worker who’d been critically injured at a local Tractor Supply distribution warehouse. McGowan was paralyzed when a pallet of dog food fell 20 feet from a shelving system onto his head.

After hearing two weeks of testimony, the jury deliberated less than three hours before deciding unanimously that Tractor Supply Co. of Texas, LP d/b/a Tractor Supply Company was negligent and caused the massive injuries suffered by the local Waco resident. The Waco jury apportioned 100% responsibility for the accident to Tractor Supply Co. of Texas, LP. At trial, more than twenty witnesses were called to testify, including several prominent Waco physicians who provided testimony about the medical care and treatment provided to McGowan in the days and months following the accident.

The $12.1 million verdict represents one of the largest jury verdicts ever awarded to a single individual in the history of McLennan County.

McGowan was a U.S. Army veteran and had worked at the Tractor Supply distribution warehouse in Waco for about a month when he was injured. McGowan was unable to attend trial because he had been bedridden by the injuries.

Tractor Supply Co. of Texas, LP owns and operates a 650,000 square foot distribution center in Waco, Texas, as well as all of the retail Tractor Supply Co. stores throughout the state of Texas. Tractor Supply Co. of Texas, LP is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO). Both Tractor Supply Co. of Texas, LP and Tractor Supply Company are nonsubscribers to the worker’s compensation insurance system in Texas.

The Waco Tribune Herald published this article about the trial and jury verdict.