CADDOT, WI — One person was seriously hurt after an explosion that happened at a business in Caddot, Wisconsin on Thursday, March 12th, 2015. News reports out of Chippewa said that the accidnet happened at about 2:15 Thursday afternoon.
An unidentified employee of Greener Acres Transmission was hurt when the blow torch he was using to cut open a drum exploded for reasons currently under investigation. The explosion left one person hurt.
The employee was taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital where he was being treated for serious injuries.
The investigation into the accident is underway at this time.
Scene of the Accident
View of the Road
Commentary:
I know a lot of people are going to take one look at this accident, and assume, because the victim was on the clock at his job, that there is no other avenue than workers’ comp, but really, there could be a way around workers’ comp, and all the drawbacks that usually come with it. For instance, if the torch that exploded had some kind of defect, or design flaw that caused this explosion, the manufacturer of the torch, or even the gas canister it was attached to could be viewed as an intervening third party, and the claim would be one of negligence against the tool’s manufacturer, not of workers’ comp against the employee. Any time there is a possible path around workers’ comp, I always see it as more beneficial to victims than workers’ comp, which, in my opinion, tends to protect employers more than it benefits victims of accidents like this one.
— Grossman Law Offices
