Worker's Estate Fails to Establish Viable Civil Suit Against Co-Employee

The Iowa Court of Appeals ruled that the estate of a worker killed in an assembly line accident failed to establish a viable gross negligence claim against a co-employee. John Lavery worked for a small-motor manufacturer and operated a hydraulic test stand. The test stand injects pressurized oil through a small motor to test it as it comes off the production line. The operating employee puts the motor into the stand and connects hoses to inject the oil. The employee then lowers a hood to enclose the motor. A new employee allegedly heard one of the test stands make a loud snap...