An Indianapolis man has been awarded $5.6 million by a jury for injuries he sustained in an accident at a local factory.

Ronald W. Hargis lost four fingers and underwent a dozen surgeries after he caught his left hand in a compression roller while testing new equipment at Flutes Inc. on Zionsville Road.

He incurred $255,000 in medical bills and $67,000 in lost wages as a result of the October 2007 mishap, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Indianapolis.

Hargis sued A.J. Engineering Inc. of New Bern, N.C., the company that designed the equipment, arguing that it had been designed defectively. He rejected a $100,000 settlement offer and opted for a trial, which ended March 30 after four days.

Hargis was represented by Mike Phelps of the Ken Nunn Law Office in Bloomington.