Oakland County jury awards more than $75M to man who lost most of his hands in Kroger refrigerant explosion
Brian Mierendorf suffered severe chemical burns and injection injuries after a substance banned by the EPA exploded into his hands
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An Oakland County jury has awarded more than $75 million to a man who lost most of his hands in a refrigerant explosion at a Kroger store in Bloomfield Township, in what attorneys say is a record-breaking liability verdict in Michigan.
Brian Mierendorf, a 37-year-old pipefitter and HVAC technician, was seriously injured while working at the store when a defective refrigeration system malfunctioned and released a toxic chemical. Mierendorf suffered severe chemical burns and injection injuries after R22 refrigerant, a substance banned by the Environmental Protection Agency, exploded into his hands as he tried to protect nearby customers from the leak.
Mierendorf underwent 25 surgeries following the 2020 incident, resulting in the amputation of most of his hands.
“Kroger had a ticking time bomb in its store at Bloomfield Township, waiting to blow,” attorney Jon Marko of Marko Law, who represented the Mierendorfs, said. “Unfortunately, it blew up on Brian and he lost his hands trying to save other people in the store from toxic chemicals being sprayed out in the middle of the day in front of the meat department.”
The verdict was handed down in the courtroom of Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Jacob Cunningham. Attorneys John Eads and Tyler Joseph of Marko Law also worked on the case.
At trial, attorneys for the Mierendorfs argued that Kroger failed to properly maintain the refrigeration system and did not provide required documentation of maintenance, repairs, or inspections. The company also failed to produce a complete incident report until more than two years after the explosion, according to the plaintiffs' legal team.
Marko said Kroger’s defense strategy was to “blame Brian for his heroic actions.”
“The verdict sends a clear message to Kroger that Brian’s actions should be commended, and that Brian literally gave up his hands in the line of duty at the expense of himself and his family is priceless,” Marko said.
Metro Times couldn’t immediately reach Kroger for comment.
