Man sues steel company after he was crushed on the job

CHARLESTON - A Kanawha County man filed a suit against a state steel company, after he was crushed by a two-ton die the job.

Timothy Blake Parsons filed the suit Oct. 20 in Kanawha Circuit Court against West Virginia Steel Corporation, Raleigh Mine and Industrial Supply Inc., and Michael Anderson, an agent of West Virginia Steel Corporation and Raleigh Mine.

Parsons was employed by a temporary employment agency, Direct Services, Inc., to work at a West Virginia Steel facility in Charleston.

According to the suit, the companies owned an overhead crane, which had serious mechanical problems, slipped and would sporadically move without human control.

On Oct. 19, 2007, Parsons was assisting Anderson with the crane, which involved moving and manipulating a die, which weighed approximately two tons. The die was made by West Virginia Steel and Raleigh Mine.

According to the suit, the die slipped, or was shaken loose, and fell onto Parsons, crushing him. Parsons suffered severe and permanent debilitating injuries.

Parsons claims the defendants were grossly negligent, willful, wanton, reckless and acted with criminal indifference.

In the four-count suit, Parsons seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

Attorney W. Jeffrey Vollmer is representing Parsons. The case has been assigned to Judge Paul Zakaib.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 08-C-2053