Safety inspector sues company over accident
A company official said safety training ensures compliance with regulations.
WARREN -- A Twinsburg paving company faces a lawsuit from a Trumbull County safety inspector who says he was hit by a vehicle while inspecting a North Road job site.
David Stephenson of Champion Avenue East in Champion Township filed suit in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, naming Ohio Northern Shelly Co. in Twinsburg and Columbus as the defendant.
The lawsuit states that the company on Nov. 6, 2003, was making improvements on North Road in Warren.
The lawsuit claims the company failed to maintain safety standards, including the failure to post a flagger immediately before the work site.
As a result, the court action says, Stephenson was struck by a motor vehicle as it was driving through the work site. His suit cites injuries to his neck, arms, torso and legs that required hospitalization and rehabilitation, with $100,000 in expenses to date.
Company response
Doug Rauh, general manager for Ohio Northern in Twinsburg, said he could not comment specifically on this case.
Rauh stressed, however, that the Twinsburg office employs "two safety individuals whose only job is to make sure we comply with all regulations," state or federal. "We spend a lot of time and money training our people."
Stephenson, meanwhile, cites permanent disability as the result of the injuries, and lost wages. He seeks a judgment for more than $25,000. The case is assigned to Judge Andrew Logan.