Status conference reset in wrongful death lawsuit involving wood chipper

St. Clair County Circuit Judge Robert LeChien has reset a status conference in a woman’s lawsuit against the tree service she blames for causing her husband's death.

Amy Risinger alleges her husband, Richard Risinger was working for defendants Andrew’s Tree Service and Andrew Jacobs on Nov. 18, 2011, and was feeding limbs into a wood chipper when his jacket became caught in the machine. He became entangled in the equipment and perished.

Because of her husband’s death, Amy Risinger alleges she has been deprived of his love, companionship, society, consortium and support, the suit filed Dec. 20 in St. Clair County Circuit Court states.

The case was called for an initial status conference March 19, but was reset for May 29.

Risinger blames the defendants for contributing to her husband’s death, saying they negligently failed to provide adequate training to workers using the wood chipper, failed to warn workers of the dangers of improperly loading branches into the wood chipper and demonstrated the improper way to load branches into the wood chipper.

She seeks more than $50,000.

Risinger is represented by Samantha S. Unsell of Keefe and Keefe in Belleville.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 12-L-668.