A 49 year-old man, working at Country Stone and Soil, a Lakeville, Minnesota company, died in a work-related accident Saturday. His name has not been released pending notification of next of kin.

The man was feeding mulch into a hopper leading into an auger assembly. The auger became clogged. While attempting to clear the clog, he fell into the auger and was killed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident will continue to be investigated by a wide array of departments, including Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, the M.E., and work safety and health officials.

Product Liability Cases and Third Party Claims

We are saddened that these tragic accidents continue to happen at work. Unfortunately, these cases are quite common. There are safety rules that require guards so that a person can’t get too close to the moving parts. Some of these cases fall under product liability if the manufacturer did not provide adequate protective features and had previous complaints or injuries associated with that piece of equipment.

These cases are complicated. They are called third party liability cases. When you are hurt on the job, you cannot sue your employer. The exclusive remedy against the employer is workers compensation. However, you can sue a “third party” that caused the injury.

In these cases, we will investigate if any third party did anything to cause the injury. That could be the product manufacturer or a prior owner of the equipment that removed the safety guards, etc. It is very important to get legal representation involved quickly so that a thorough investigation is done before any evidence is compromised.

Have Questions? Contact Us Today

TSR Injury Law is available to assist anyone who has suffered a job injury or has lost a family member in a workplace accident or a product liability accident, including third-party claims. Our partners are skilled, personal injury attorneys with years of experience and they are consistently named Super Lawyers and Top Lawyers by Law & Politics and Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine. Call (612) TSR-TIME for legal advise or submit our free consultation form.

This is a poignant example of the importance of job training, equipment safety features, and working in tandem when working with dangerous machinery.