Pipefitter crushed in forklift accident sues Dynegy

Dynegy Midwest Generation, Inc. is being sued by a contracted worker who was crushed in between a steel post and a pump at the Baldwin Power Plant on Oct. 8, 2007.

Gerald Dunning, a pipefitter employed by contractor Power Maintenance and Constructors, claims he suffered internal bleeding, lost his spleen and has undergone, and will continue to under go, skin grafts, according to a complaint filed Jan. 4 in St. Clair County Circuit Court.

"Plaintiff will also require surgery to realign his stomach muscles," the complaint states.

Dunning, represented by Thomas Q. Keefe of Belleville, is seeking in excess of $150,000 in damages.

He claims DMG was in charge of job safety and had the authority to stop unsafe work practices.

"...[W]hile he was attempting to help maneuver a pump-bearing cart so that it could be attached to a pulley and lowered -- he was crushed when a forklift being driven by a DMG employee pushed the cart forward and pinned Plaintiff between the pump and a steel post," the complaint states.

Dunning alleges the defendant is negligent for failing to furnish a safe work place and for failing to provide proper training in the safe operation of forklifts, among other things.