BELLEVILLE — An insurance company is suing a St. Louis truck plaza, alleging a man was injured when an air compressor exploded and threw him to the ground.
Protective Insurance Company, as subrogate for Dohrm Transfer Company, filed a complaint Feb. 21 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Gateway Truck Plaza Inc. and FleetNet America Inc., alleging negligence and breach of contract.
According to the complaint, on May 24, 2017, David Smith was working for Dohrm at the Roadrunner Terminal located at 8000 Hall St. in St. Louis. The suit states that Smith experienced a flat tire on his trailer and the defendant was contacted to provide assistance.
A Gateway Truck Plaza technician allegedly tried to inflate the tire using an air compressor but it did not work. Smith was allegedly asked to hold the compressor pilot valve while the technician operated the air hose. Smith was allegedly thrown to the ground when the compressor exploded, causing significant injuries.
The plaintiff alleges the Gateway Truck Plaza technician was not properly trained.
Protective Insurance seeks damages of $345,704.76, plus costs of court and all other just relief. It is represented by attorney Marc Gnade of the Law Office of Marc Gnade in Fenton.
St. Clair County Circuit Court Case number 19-L-0147