Manslaughter charges and $12m payout after wind farm worker buried alive
Trial scheduled next year over 'completely preventable' death of US construction worker that saw developer RES agree record settlement with family and fund safety measures
Five people face manslaughter charges in the US over the death of a wind farm construction worker who was buried alive on the job, an incident that led a global renewables developer to agree a $12m settlement with the man’s family and pay almost $500,000 to fund employee safety measures.
Jonathan Stringer, 24, died in January 2020 when a trench collapsed during work on the Skookumchuck wind power project in the state of Washington, which was being developed by US entities of UK-based renewables group RES.
Five workers involved in the project appeared in court in early September facing first- or second-degree manslaughter charges ahead of a trail scheduled for March 2022 following not guilty pleas, according to reports from local news outlets.
“We have one year from the date of the settlement [until July 2022] to identify the recipients of the nearly $470,000. Some examples could be search and rescue equipment for local governments and first responders, and trenching safety training and equipment,” said the official.
In another separate development, RES earlier this year reached a settlement worth $12m with the estate of Jonathan Stringer, who was engaged to be married and had a three-year-old daughter. The settlement was reported locally as one of the largest of its type in Washington state history.
RES was building the 136MW Skookumchuck for utility Southern Power, which now operates the facility near Olympia, southwest of Seattle.
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