DETROIT — A Michigan jury awarded more than $75 million in damages to an HVAC contractor who suffered serious chemical injuries and lost most of his fingers after a defective refrigerant exploded in a Kroger store in 2022, his lawyer stated on June 17.
Brian Mierendorf was critically hurt while attempting to stop the refrigerant during the event, according to his attorney, Jon Marko. A complaint filed in Oakland County Circuit Court states that the incident occurred in February 2022 at a Kroger supermarket in Bloomfield Hills, a northern suburb of Detroit.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the explosion spilled a dangerous chemical known as R-22, a type of refrigerant used in a variety of applications, including household air conditioning systems. According to manufacturing business Trane, the government began phasing out the chemical in 2010, and it will be banned for production and import in 2020.
Mierendorf’s hands were injected with poisonous R-22 refrigerant, according to the news release. According to Marko, Mierendorf has had 25 surgeries since February 2022 in an attempt to save his hands.
On June 17, an Oakland County jury awarded Mierendorf and his wife, Heather, in what Marko described as a “record-breaking verdict” against Kroger Co. of Michigan. According to the decision form, the jury compensated the couple economic and non-economic losses from the incident and for years to come.
“Kroger had a ticking time bomb in its Bloomfield Township store, waiting to go off.” Unfortunately, it blew up on Brian, and he lost his hands while attempting to shield other customers in the store from deadly chemicals being sprayed in the middle of the day in front of the meat department,” Marko said in the statement.
“During the trial, Kroger’s defense was to blame Brian for his heroic acts. The ruling sends a strong message to Kroger that Brian’s acts should be praised, and the fact that Brian practically gave up his hands in the line of duty at the sacrifice of himself and his family is invaluable,” Marko continued.
On June 18, an attorney representing Kroger and a business spokeswoman did not immediately reply to requests for comment from the Detroit Free Press, which is part of the USA TODAY network.
What happened during the Kroger store refrigerant explosion?
Marko stated in the announcement that the jury’s payout is thought to be the greatest premises liability verdict in Michigan.
According to the complaint, the event occurred on February 1, 2022, when Mierendorf was asked to come to the Kroger store to work on refrigeration lines on the premises. The complaint was filed in February 2024 on Mierendorf’s behalf, as she lives in nearby Macomb County.
While performing maintenance, a refrigerator line began shooting liquid refrigerant into the business, according to the lawsuit. There was no shutoff valve nearby, so Mierendorf attempted to plug the line, but the pressure was too high, and refrigerant began leaking at a significant volume, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, Mierendorf’s left hand froze to the refrigerated line when he attempted to cover it. He attempted but was unable to break free from the line.
“The refrigerant was pouring out at such a rate that Plaintiff could barely breath(e) as he attempted to break his hand free from the pipe,” according to the complaint! “Ultimately, Plaintiff was able to break free from the pipe but sustained serious and grievous injuries.”
According to the complaint, he suffered injuries that included the loss of the bulk of his fingers. Mierendorf sustained serious chemical burns and had many fingers on both hands amputated or partially amputated.
