A jury has found Guardian Industries at fault in the death of a truck driver but did not award damages to the man’s estate.Darren Richard Long, 38, of Medford, Wis., died in 2004 after a 4,000-pound crate of glass fell on him as he was loading it onto the trailer of his truck at Guardian’s plant in DeWitt. He died at a local hospital.
His wife, Dawn, filed a lawsuit in 2005 claiming that Guardian, a manufacturer of building and automotive glass products, was negligent in its safety practices.
Court records show Long, an employee of Schneider National trucking, was fastening a strap to secure the crate to the trailer. When he pulled on the strap, it unhooked from the side of the trailer and he fell to the trailer floor. The crate tipped over on top on him, records show.
The Iowa Division of Labor investigated the accident and found that no safety regulations had been violated. It did recommend that the company use two straps to secure cargo rather than just one.
Pat Tuttle, manager of Guardian’s DeWitt plant, called the incident “an unfortunate situation all the way around.
“We feel real bad about the situation and our condolences go out to Mrs. Long and the family,” he said.