Patrick Salvi II: Family awarded $241 million in Prairie Farms dry ice death case
Family awarded $241 million in Prairie Farms dry ice death case
by: Joey Schneider
Posted: Feb 27, 2026 / 05:10 PM CST
Family awarded $241 million in Prairie Farms dry ice death case
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – A Madison County jury has ordered Prairie Farms Dairy to pay $241 million to the family of a worker who died while transporting dry ice in the St. Louis area.
The verdict comes nearly 10 years after family members of Eric Johnson, a courier working for a third-party delivery company, filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
On Friday, a jury awarded $191.5 million in punitive damages and $49.5 million in compensatory damages to Johnson’s family over his death.
According to the lawsuit, on Aug. 5, 2016, Johnson arrived at Prairie Farms Dairy’s supply facility in St. Charles. His courier service, CJS Express, was hired to transport four coolers of frozen strawberries filled with dry ice to Fayetteville, Arkansas. An employee of PFD Supply, a subsidiary of Prairie Farms Dairy Inc., helped with loading the coolers into the back of Johnson’s vehicle, but no one provided him with warnings regarding how to safely transport the cargo, according to the lawsuit.
Nearly 90 minutes after he intended to leave to transport the coolers, found unconscious in a running vehicle in a parking lot near a St. Charles highway. First responders administered CPR until an ambulance arrived to bring Johnson to the hospital.
Johnson died from his condition three days later at the age of 64. Family members say he had no pre-existing health conditions that would have caused his death in that manner.
When authorities initially responded to Johnson’s vehicle, one responding officer told doctors he noticed a strong, sharp smell coming from inside the vehicle. The smell was described in a way characteristic of a large concentration of carbon dioxide. Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide gas.
The lawsuit, filed in 2017, alleged PFD Supply employees knew the dangers of transporting dry ice, but contend no one cautioned Johnson on how to safely transport the strawberries, which led to his death. The lawsuit argued that employees had a duty to warn Johnson of extreme risks from carbon dioxide had, including loss of consciousness or death by asphyxiation when used in confined spaces without adequate ventilation.
During trial, substantial evidence was presented that Prairie Farms Dairy Inc. was responsible for safety protocols at PFD Supply Corporation and failed to implement hazard communication protocols. Attorneys also cited OSHA violations involving dry ice before and since Johnson’s death.
“Given the choice, this family would return every dollar for one more day with their husband
and father,” said Patrick A. Salvi II of the Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard law firm, which represented Johnson’s family.
“No verdict can replace Eric or the love and joy he brought into their lives. What it
can do, however, is provide the support they now need to move forward without him – and
send a clear message to Prairie Farms and companies like them not to cut corners on training and safety.”
“Our family is very grateful that the jury recognized the gravity of losing our beloved husband and father, Eric, due to the Defendants’ reckless indifference to safety,” said Paula Johnson, Eric Johnson’s widow, in a statement. “We are also grateful that the verdict sends a strong message to these Defendants and others to ensure proper communication regarding dangerous chemicals. We hope that this verdict prevents future tragedies like this one,”
Johnson is survived by his wife Paula and five adult children.
The family’s legal team will discuss the verdict during a press conference at 10 a.m. Monday at the law offices of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard in Chicago.
