St. Louis Area Man Files Suit Against Employer After Losing Four Fingers
A St. Louis area man who lost four fingers in a chop saw accident work has filed a personal injury and product liability suit against his employer and the product manufacturer.
The man, who had worked as a wood pallet delivery man, was using a chop saw to cut boards used to build wooden pallets. Due to negligent maintenance, the piece that was cut would occasionally become stuck on a roller beneath the blade. This circumstance required the employee to manually flick the wood into a box below.
The incident occurred when he flicked the wood, and the blade came out of its hood, catching his glove, and pulling his hand into the 22 inch blade. According to industry experts which WWF&G attorney Michael P. Glisson consulted for this case, the loss of his finger may have been prevented by providing more training for the employee, not requiring him to wear a glove, not using faulty machinery or fixing the chop blade's setup.
Due to the small number of employees hired by the pallet-making company, the case is not eligible for a workers' compensation claim. Trial is scheduled for summer 2011 in St. Charles County.
According to a study published by the U.S. Library of Medicine, circular saw hand injuries are usually more serious than other hand injuries and often take more time to treat. In addition, those injured by saws are more likely to receive disability pension than people with other hand injuries.
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