Iowa jury awards nearly $1.2 million to man injured by gas in hog barn

PRIMGHAR, Ia. — A man felled by toxic gas inside a northwest Iowa hog confinement barn has won nearly $1.2 million for his injuries.

An O'Brien County jury hearing the lawsuit trial found property owner Patrick Probst negligent for the 2014 incident and Tuesday awarded Thomas Mook the money.

Probst had been pumping manure from a pit under the barn Mook was power washing Oct. 16, 2014. The pumping caused hydrogen sulfide to be released. Mook contended the barn had not been adequately ventilated before he arrived the next morning to continue the work.

Mook was overcome when he entered the barn office. He subsequently was hospitalized and underwent two years of physical therapy. His attorney says Mook suffered two strokes resulting in brain damage that left him with partial short-term memory loss.

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