Lawsuit alleges worker injured at Poca High

WINFIELD - A Jackson County worker and his wife are claiming an unsafe work environment caused him to suffer serious and permanent injuries.

Jackson County residents Charles David Casto and Delores L. Casto filed a lawsuit Oct. 3 in the Circuit Court of Putnam County against Metro Masonry Inc., B&W Sales & Equipment Rental Inc., Textron Inc., Omniquip International Inc., Sky Trak International Inc., Omniquip Textron Inc., JLG Industries Inc., JLG Omniquip Inc., Oshkosh Corp. and Elwood Holdings LLC, citing negligence.

The plaintiffs claim Charles Casto was injured on Nov. 18, 2011, while working for Metro Masonry at a job site located at Poca High School in Putnam County.

Casto and other workers present were trying to load a mechanical scaffolding unit onto a flat-bed truck with a SkyTrak telehandler unit when Casto was knocked off the truck and severely injured.

They claim the employees were not properly trained or certified to use the telehandler, nor were they warned of the dangers of using that type of equipment.

The plaintiffs claim the defendant companies involved in the manufacture, marketing, sale and/or distribution of SkyTrak products failed to provide adequate warnings and ensure its products are safe to operate and free of defects, according to the brief.

The plaintiffs are suing for an undetermined amount of relief. They are being represented by Charleston attorney R. Chad Duffield.

Circuit Court of Putnam County Case No. 13-C-324