ROCKLAND, Maine — A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a local man who claims he suffered serious burns due to a defective piece of equipment at his workplace.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Knox County Superior Court on behalf of Kevin Dougherty against Bufllovak LLC of Buffalo, N.Y., which manufactured the equipment.
The lawsuit claims that Dougherty suffered serious burns over 35 percent of his body while working at the FMC plant in Rockland, which produces carrageenan from seaweed.
According to the lawsuit, Dougherty was working near a vacuum dryer when it was being cleaned with boiling water and steam. The latch mechanism on the dryer was defective, according to the lawsuit, and would not open when employees pressed the button, which is located a safe distance from the dryer door, the suit states.
The cleaning procedure used at the plant involves opening the dryer door and letting the scalding water empty onto the factory floor and down drains, according to the suit.
But because the latch failed to work properly, workers had to get closer to the dryer to open it and when the water spilled out it struck Dougherty, according to the lawsuit.
Dougherty’s suit claims he incurred medical bills of $25,000 and was out of work for seven months. On his return he was unable to perform his duties because of his injuries and was let go because of the inability to perform the work, the suit claims.
The lawsuit does not specify the amount of damages sought. He is represented by attorney John Markham of Boston, Mass.
Michael Bieger, the president of Bufllovak, said Thursday he was unaware of the lawsuit and that it has not been served on the company. He said he could not comment without seeing the suit.
Great. Another person wanting to be compensated for their stupidity.
Spoken like a true heartless businessman! Must be a LePage fan.
I would love to see this guy get burned over 35 percent of his body then see how he feels about it then.
The tea trolls would love to abolish minimum, overtime requirements , workers compensation and OSHA.
What the hell are you talking about? Personal responsibility knows no party lines.
Actually, I am a non-conformist. I hate LePage as much as I do Obama. I am just tired of people getting compensated for their lack of common sense, i.e., burning yourself with coffee and then sueing McDonalds because the cup didn’t say it was hot. People in this country never want to be accountable for their own actions anymore, they always want to pass the blame or sue someone to justify what they did. It is one of many flaws we have as a nation.
“People in this country never want to be accountable for their own actions anymore, they always want to pass the blame or sue someone to justify what they did.”
Thats a double edged sword that you are wielding there! The manufacturer needs to be accountable for his errors as well as the operator. Thats why we have a justice system to sort it out!
”
It is one of many flaws we have as a nation. ”
It is one of the Basic Foundations that makes this economic system work fairly to all parties!You are exactly of the Mindset that Big Buisness wants you to be so as they may dodge their responsibilities.You made up your Mind already that because someone is seeking damages that he must just be a goldigger.If you get a chance watch the movie hot coffee, you may change your mind about the women who sued Mcdonalds
Yeah and the justice system in this country is flawless!
I will check out the movie though…
Whether this was due to the claimant’s own stupidity remains to be seen. If he was instructed to get closer than was safe by his boss or supervisor, then it is not his fault that he got hurt. If he violated safety procedures and took unsafe action on his own, then that is another story.
If the switch had worked, he undoubtedly would have.kept the safe distance and perhaps not have been injured. I wonder if the company had alternate instructions dealing with such a failure, or if they simply believed that the switch was adequate? I don’t know anything about the work or the necessity of opening such a door in the event of this failure and what economic repercussions (sic) this would have had for the owner of such equipment. Or perhaps not doing so might have created an even greater danger for him and other employees that were present. If opening the door was the best or only solution, then he does deserve some compensation. If there were safer options then it needs to be seen why this option was the one chosen and who made the choice. My younger brother was seriously injured in one of the most stupid scenarios one could imagine, and he, being mildly retarded pointed out the folly of that situation. He was overruled by a superior and after being nearly electrocuted fell four stories. He had compound fractures of the lower leg that required multiple surgeries. He was awarded four thousand by the insurance company that covered his employers’ workmanship comp ins. So things are not always fair for the worker and I do hope this man receives compensation, assuming it is deserved.
Sorry to hear of your brother’s experience. Life certainly is cruel at times.
The door had a remote release for a reason, and since it obviously malfunctioned (machines do that sometimes), they should have waited till it cooled before a manual release was attempted.
How old was the machine; they do break here and there.
Was he told to go near it to open it? The remote release is there for a reason and if they did it on their own knowing what happens when the door opens, the workers are at fault, and if it was new, the manufacturer is somewhat liable, too, I suppose.
If they were told to do it by their higher ups, then the plant should be fined by OSHA and the bosses be included in any suit. Common sense would say at least let it cool to ambient temperature before attempting a manual opening (like a pressure cooker).