Mill Worker in Washington State Killed in Heavy Machinery Accident

A 32-year-old Washington mill worker’s life was cut far too short in a horrific workplace accident that took place on Friday, March 8. According to The Columbian, a local Washington newspaper, Dakota Austin Cline of Hazel Dell, Washington, was killed at the Georgia-Pacific Camas Mill in Camas, Clark County Washington after being involved in a heavy machinery accident. Reports indicate that local Camas police and the Camas-Washougal Fire Department responded to an emergency call from the mill on the evening of March 8, at around 5:04 p.m. Unfortunately, the call was not for a rescue, but, in fact, Cline was found by first responders dead at the scene of the accident.

Kristi Ward, the Public Affairs Officer for Georgia-Pacific reported that Cline’s death occurred inside of the unitizing and converting department of the mill, which is involved in one of the end stages of packaging final paper products. The Columbian reports that in 2002, a similar workplace accident occurred at the Camas Georgia-Pacific papermill. In that accident, 39-year-old Georgia-Pacific worker Terry Rykhus of Washougal, Washington, was killed at the mill when he was pulled into a paper machine. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries investigated the horrific fatal workplace accident and fined the company $6,500. Prior to the accident in 2002, the most recent accident at the facility was in 1986, in which a worker was killed in a fatal forklift accident at the mill.

Ward said of the fatal accident, “Safety is a value at Georgia-Pacific. This is devastating for [Cline’s] family and friends and for our Camas team…We are working to support them, and we are working through the investigation with the appropriate authorities, including corporate safety resources and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).”

Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Injured Louisiana Workers

The recent fatal death of the young worker at the Georgia-Pacific papermill revives the conversation about what injured workers can do when they are seriously injured on the job in Louisiana. Fortunately, under Louisiana workers’ compensation laws, most workers who are injured at work in Louisiana are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to help them get back on their feet and back to their regular jobs. Workers’ compensation benefits under Louisiana laws include things like wage replacement compensation, medical expense reimbursement, and vocational rehabilitation services. Of course, in order to determine whether you may be entitled to Louisiana workers’ compensation benefits and how much you may be entitled to, it is important to speak to an experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyer about your particular case.

A Law Firm that Helps Injured Workers in Louisiana

The experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyers at Lunsford Baskin & Priebe, PLLC offer injured Louisiana workers a free and confidential consultation to learn about your case and to see if they can help you get workers’ compensation benefits due to you. Contact the experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyers at Lunsford Baskin & Priebe, PLLC today and speak to an experienced lawyer about your rights and options for free.

Source:

columbian.com/news/2024/mar/11/camas-mill-employee-killed-in-workplace-accident/