CHARLESTON – A Madison lineman who suffered injuries after a bucket truck malfunctioned alleges the leveling system of the aerial device was not properly adjusted during an inspection.
William Thompson and his wife Jill Thompson filed suit against Altec Industries Inc. and Altec Inc. in Kanawha Circuit Court alleging negligence.
The suit states William Thompson, who worked as a lineman for Alpha Natural Resources at its subsidiary Elk Run Coal, was working on a power substation at the Stockton Mine in Mammoth on July 5, 2017, when the bucket truck he was using malfunctioned, causing him to rapidly drop down from 25 feet in the air. Thompson alleges he was thrown around the bucket and suffered head, elbow, back, hip and other injuries.
The suit states the bucket truck was equipped with an Altec AA755 aerial device that was manufactured and installed by the defendants.
According to the lawsuit, the bucket truck used by Thompson had been inspected and serviced two weeks before the accident by the defendants' technicians and the device's leveling system was not properly adjusted. Thompson claims that failure to properly adjust the device led to the bucket truck's descending out of control and that Altec "had a duty to inspect" the bucket truck and make needed adjustments or repairs.
The plaintiffs seek punitive damages, interest, medical expenses and other relief. They are represented by Brian L. Ooten of Shaffer and Shaffer in Madison.
The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Joanna Tabit.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 19-c-651