A Tulsa federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed over the 2017 death of a worker at a wind tower manufacturing operation in Tulsa.
U.S. District Judge Claire V. Eagan issued the ruling in support of ARCOSA Wind Towers Inc. which purchased Trinity Structural Towers after the July 18, 2018 incident that resulted in the death of Christian Diette.
He was removing bolts from flanges on a tower section when another 80,000 lb section collapsed on him. His father filed suit maintaining that Trinity Structural Towers, a firm later purchased by ARCOSA Wind Towers Inc., was negligent and intentionally put Diette into a potentially deadly work situation.
Judge Eagan ruled in ARCOSA’s motions to dismiss. She denied the company’s request to dismiss on grounds the court lacked jurisdiction. But she granted the company’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim and ordered the petition dismissed without prejudice.