CHARLESTON - An inmate at a state correctional facility filed a lawsuit against a state agency after his hand was crushed while moving steel beams for the state.
Michael Wimmer, through attorney Larry O. Ford, filed a suit Nov. 14 in Kanawha Circuit Court against the Department of Transportation, Division of Highways. Wimmer was incarcerated at the Ohio County Correctional Center in the Northern Panhandle.
According to the suit, Wimmer was assigned to a work crew Dec. 19, 2005. He was involved in loading steel beams onto a truck, which involved moving several beams at once with the help of a crane.
The crane moved the beams to the truck, where workers moved them into position to be lowered into the truck bed. While moving the beams, Wimmer was injured when the beams crushed his hand.
Wimmer claims the injury is the result of negligence by the DOT. He seeks compensation for his injuries and damages.
The case has been assigned to Judge Louis Bloom.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 07-C-2453