16-year-old dragged under machine blade lost his legs, WA officials say. Company fined
A 16-year-old boy had both of his legs amputated after he was dragged under a machine’s blade in Washington, officials said.
Now the construction company has to pay a fine of $156,259.
The teen was taking part in a work-based learning program for Rotschy LLC, a company based in Vancouver, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries said in a Jan. 23 news release.
The learning program allows students to earn credit while gaining “experience working outside the classroom,” officials said.
Student takes part in summer program
The boy was using a walk-behind trencher to dig in the ground for fence posts during the summer, officials said.
To operate the machine, users walk backward as they pull the machine toward them. As a result, the machine digs up dirt as you walk.
Officials said the boy was dragged under the blade of the machine, causing “injuries so severe” that his legs had to be amputated.
“We were deeply saddened by the incident involving one of our minor workers who suffered a tragic injury on our job site. As a family-owned company with a strong safety record, this has been a distressing moment for us,” the company said in a Jan. 25 statement to McClatchy News.
Rotschy LLC had a student learner exemption, which allowed students to do some work that might otherwise be considered against the law, officials said.
Company fined and cited
But the permit didn’t allow the student to operate the walk-behind trencher, officials said. Additionally, officials said no one was supervising the teen when he was using it.
The company was fined the maximum penalty. The violation was also considered “willful,” officials said, “because the company knew or should have known the requirements, but still failed to meet them.”
The incident was also classified as “serious” due to the nature of the boy’s injuries.
“This tragedy should never have happened, and this young man’s life will never be the same,” assistant director of L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health Craig Blackwood said in the release.
Labor officials halted work at the company and suspended the student learner exemption as they investigate Rotschy further.
“Safety has always been our top priority. We are committed to learning from this and strengthening our safety measures to ensure such incidents never happen again,” Rotschy said in the statement.
The teen worker will still get an opportunity within the company to use the skills he learned on the field, the company said. He is now working at an office where he is assisting “a project manager in project duties.”
Vancouver is about 10 miles north of Portland, Oregon.
This story was originally published January 25, 2024 at 12:34 PM with the headline "16-year-old dragged under machine blade lost his legs, WA officials say. Company fined."
