Family Sues Over Worker Death at Missouri Sawmill

January 30, 2020

The family of a 38-year-old man who died after falling into a wood chipper at a St. Joseph sawmill is suing the manufacturer of the machine.

The St. Joseph News-Press reports that the minor children of Joshua Hill allege in the lawsuit filed last week that Williams Patent Crusher and Pulverizer Co. didn’t have any built-in safety features for its XR430 Hog Wood Chipper.

Hill fell into the machine in March 2018 while working for American Walnut Co., which makes lumber products for gunstocks and furniture. As the operator, Hill was supposed to be stationed in a small shed above the machine where wood pieces were fed into an opening in the machine.

The petition says the machine lacked an automatic shut-off, an emergency stop button or rope, guards, flaps or other methods to protect operators of the wood chipper. It also alleges that no warning signs or instructions were provided with the machine.

The St. Louis-based manufacturer didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press.

Topics Lawsuits Missouri

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Latest Comments

  • January 31, 2020 at 7:40 am
    Andrew says:
    This article is good as OSHA fined the sawmill. https://www.ehstoday.com/safety/article/21919792/sawmill-fatality-leads-to-osha-citations-for-american-walnut-co
  • January 30, 2020 at 11:03 am
    JMC says:
    Thanks again for the minimal information IJ. I guess it is easier to just repost an article from the AP instead of looking for more detailed information about the fatal accid... read more

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