A Miami-Dade man injured in a forklift accident at work was awarded $5.9 million for the loss of his left foot. Rudy Smith was working at Ramco Trading Company in Hollywood, Florida in August 1993 when he stepped on a forklift that moved backward, crushing his left foot against a pole. After 10 days in the hospital, efforts to save the foot failed and it was amputated.

Smith, who moved to Florida from the Dominican Republic in 1970, now has a prosthesis on his left foot. He is looking forward to getting on with his life and paying his debts. He has borrowed money from friends, relatives and banks to take care of his family's basic needs. He will have to use some of the money to replace his prosthesis every three years at a cost of about $9,000.

Workers' compensation paid Smith's medical bills through 1995 when the claim was resolved for $40,000. Smith runs a small tire business but was not making enough money to cover his remaining medical expenses.

Smith sued Nationwide Lift Trucks, the company that serviced the forklift the day before the accident. According to Smith's attorneys, repairs made on the forklift's brake system caused the forklift to disengage when Smith attempted to mount the machine.