Worker's Fatal Excavator Accident Doesn't Fall Within Intentional Act Exception

The Utah Supreme Court ruled that the family of a worker killed in an excavator accident failed to assert a viable claim that his employer had intentionally injured him. Case: Christiansen v. Harrison Western Construction Corp., No. 20180569, 11/04/2021, published. Facts: In 2016, the Utah Department of Transportation awarded the Harrison Western Construction Corp. a public contract to install an avalanche control system near Alta Ski Resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon. UDOT believed that a “walking excavator,” a type of machine with legs that hold to steep surfaces, would be req...