A silage pile collapsed – killing a truck driver – and his family has filed a wrongful death claim against the Idaho dairy where it occurred.  The only question left to answer is whether or not dairy officials warned him of the potential danger of parking near the 40-foot pile.

Our wrongful death lawyers believe that you should never be put in any unreasonable danger during your work day.  But if your employers knowingly put you in harm’s way, we sure hope that they at least notify you of the danger.  Dangerous work environments are a fact of life for some people, but hopefully these people at the Idaho dairy at least knew about it.

The trucker, 30-year-old Chad Thompson, was crushed to death when a silage pile at least 40 feet high feel on top of his truck.  Thompson’s widow and father, whom filed the wrongful death lawsuit, claim that the owners of 4-Bros Dairy were negligent by stacking and poorly maintaining such a dangerously high pile of silage.  The dairy, meanwhile, argues that point, claiming that dairy officials had previously warned Thompson specifically not to park there.

In their wrongful death claim, Chad’s widow, Angela Thompson, and his father, Mark Thompson, allege that the dairy’s manager told him to park his car in front of the pile.

“(Dairy officials) directed Chad Thompson to the location and failed to warn him of the dangerous/hazardous conditions,” according to the Thompson family’s wrongful death lawsuit.

Andrew Fitzgerald, 4-Bros Dairy’s secretary treasurer, is saying that Thompson was warned against parking too close to the silage pile once last year.

“(A dairy employee) physically got out there and told him to move his truck right away,” Fitzgerald said.

Either way, it is a shame that such a dangerous pile existed in the first place.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration apparently agrees as it cited 4-Bros Dairy for the safety violation with a $1,700 fine.

Should the dairy be found at fault, we hope that the Thompson family receives a wrongful death settlement.  If any of your family members or loved one suffer wrongful death due to someone else’s mistakes, our wrongful death attorneys believe that you also deserve justice.

When you survive accidents as traumatic as this one, make sure that you are getting the best medical treatment so you can get your health back and start enjoying the rest of our life.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced wrongful death lawyer and find out how we can help you.  We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing good advice for your case.  No fee if no recovery.

About Michael Pines

Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who specializes in car accident injury. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes on how insurance companies work and how they decided to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael's inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents.