Oregon Wife Files $7.9M Suit After Husband Crushed by Dump Truck

A Medford, Ore. woman has filed a lawsuit against two construction companies after he husband was crushed to death by a dump truck in a construction area on Interstate 5 near Cottage Grove.

The Mail Tribune reported that Karee Battenfield on Wednesday filed a $7.9 million lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Her husband, Layne Battenfield, was a construction worker and longtime supervisor. On May 1 he was killed when struck by an asphalt dump truck that was backing up in the construction area.

dump_truckThe driver wasn’t cited after investigations by the Oregon State Police and the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division. A trooper found no criminal intent or recklessness, and an Oregon OSHA inspector found no safety or equipment violations.