There are felony criminal charges pending against Bumble Bee Foods and two of its employees in connection with the death of a company worker. The horrible workplace accident happened in 2012 when 62-year-old, Jose Melena entered a room that was used to sterilize tuna cans. While Melena was inside, two other workers loaded carts with six tons of tuna, closed the door, and turned on the pressure cooker.
Sadly, neither employee knew Melena was inside, and he died from severe burns. Melena was found dead by another co-worker shortly afterward. Melena had worked for the tuna giant for more than six years at the time of the accident and entered the large cylinder shaped oven as part of his job.
The temperature inside the high-pressure cooker reached more than 270 degrees and gave Melena no chance at survival. According to the Los Angelos Court District Attorney, the safety manager on site violated worker safety rules, which lead to Melena's death. Bumble Bee states that safety is a top priority for their company and that Melena's death is a tragic accident. The company does not support the allegations against them and are currently looking into their legal rights.
The two employees that contributed to Melena's death could face a maximum of three years in a state prison along with a $250,000 fine if found guilty. Likewise, Bumble Bee Foods could be charged a maximum of $1.5 million in fines if convicted as well. To learn more please click here.
If you or a loved one were injured while on the job by another person's negligence, we can help. Please contact the skilled St. Louis personal injury attorneys at Meyerkord & Kurth today for a free consultation.