A Pennsylvania woman has laid claim that a defective aerial lift caused the wrongful death of her husband when he was performing tree removal work. The widow has filed a lawsuit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. The lawsuit names the manufacturer of the aerial lift and a trucking equipment company. She claims the lift they designed and subsequently sold across the country caused the death of her husband.
The widow is acting as the administratrix of her husband in the lawsuit against Altec Industries, Inc. and Altec, Inc. of Birmingham, Ala., Altec Corporation of Philadelphia and Mickey's Truck & Equipment Sales and Mickey's Truck & Equipment Sales, Inc., both of Sugarloaf.
The victim was working on a job on or about May 28, 2015 for Shull's Tree Service, Inc. The victim, along with two other workers, was using a 1994 Altec LR III aerial lift that was on a GMC Topkick Chassis to remove a tree on the property. Before the incident took place, the victim was on the ground removing debris from the area.
One of the workers felt the vehicle shake "uncharacteristically" when working at the rear of it. When he turned around, he noticed the boom arm collapsed. When the boom arm collapsed, it knocked the operator out of the aerial lift bucket and violently struck the plaintiff of the lawsuit. The victim died on scene before emergency responders arrived.
The widow claims that the defendants designed, manufactured and sold a product that was defective without any warning. She also claims that the negligence and liability related to those actions caused her husband's death.
The widow is asking for more than $50,000 in compensatory damages for strict liability and negligence. The widow is also seeking a jury trial in the case.
An experienced personal injury attorney can answer all of your questions surrounding wrongful death in Nashville, Tennessee.
Source: Penn Record, "Woman says defective aerial lift led to wrongful death of husband during tree removal work," Nicholas Malfitano, Feb. 15, 2017