HVAC tech loses fingers in Kroger explosion, MI suit says. He gets millions
.png "A Michigan man was awarded over $75 million after he lost his fingers and parts of his hands in an explosion at Kroger, according to a lawsuit.")
A Michigan man was awarded millions after a lawsuit said he lost part of his hands in an explosion at a Kroger.
Brian Mierendorf was awarded over $75 million in the lawsuit filed against Kroger.
McClatchy News reached out to Kroger for comment June 19 but did not immediately hear back.
Mierendorf, a 37-year-old pipefitter journeyman and HVAC technician, was hired to work on refrigeration lines at a Kroger in Bloomfield Hills on Feb. 1, 2022, according to his attorneys.
While working, a refrigerant line started spraying liquid, the lawsuit said.
“Kroger had a ticking time bomb in its store at Bloomfield Township, waiting to blow. 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,” his attorney, Jon Marko, said in a news release.
According to the civil complaint, there was no shut-off valve nearby for Mierendorf to stop the liquid from spraying out.
He tried to cap the line, but the pressure was too high and “refrigerant was pouring out of the system at too high a volume” and his left hand froze to the refrigerant line, the lawsuit said.
Mierendorf was unable to break his hand free and could barely breathe, the complaint said. He was eventually able to remove it but sustained serious injuries to his hands, according to the lawsuit.
“At trial, Kroger’s defense 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 in the release.
Mierendorf had to have 25 surgeries, and most of his hands were amputated, according to his attorney.
The lawsuit said Kroger failed to warn Mierendorf of the “dangerous condition that existed” and failed to inspect the lines before having him work on them. It also said Kroger failed to install shut-off valves within a reasonable distance.
Bloomfield Hills is about a 25-mile drive northwest from Detroit.
This story was originally published June 19, 2025 at 11:24 AM with the headline "HVAC tech loses fingers in Kroger explosion, MI suit says. He gets millions."
