North Texas Amazon employee awarded $4M after his foot was crushed on the job
A North Texas Amazon worker whose foot was crushed as he unloaded containers from a plane has been awarded almost $4 million in damages by an arbitrator, according to court documents.
William Van Orden, then 67, was working as a ramp agent for Amazon’s logistics arm at the time of the incident in 2021, according to the documents. Van Orden was unloading a cargo container from an Amazon aircraft when a butterfly lock used to secure the container in-flight caught his foot.
A spike on the lock pierced Van Orden’s foot and the container crushed it, tearing the soft tissue, shredding the nerves and breaking bones, according to the documents.
Van Orden sued Amazon.com Services and Amazon Logistics in the 153rd District Court in Tarrant County. Both sides presented evidence, witnesses and arguments related to the lawsuit to the arbitrator.
Van Orden had to undergo five surgeries, the most recent in February, each of which consisted of multiple procedures, according to the documents. Now, Van Orden suffers constant chronic pain that he likens to a constant electric shock, and in March he suffered a third stress fracture due to the weakness caused by the initial injuries.
The pain caused by the injury prevents Van Orden from exercising and sleeping and has limited him to a sedentary job. The pain cannot be controlled with medications due to the medications’ side effects, according to the documents.
At the time of the incident, Amazon’s logistics arm did not subscribe to workers’ compensation insurance in the state of Texas, according to the documents. Workers’ compensation insurance pays for benefits like medical care and lost income to people who are injured because of their jobs.
Van Orden’s medical bills totaled over $92,000, of which Amazon paid more than $80,000, according to the documents. The remaining amount of medical debt was included in the awarded settlement.
Van Orden was represented by the Noteboom Law Firm in Fort Worth. Amazon officials and attorneys for Van Orden could not immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
This story was originally published July 18, 2025 at 6:13 PM.
