Poultry worker injured by 500-pound cart

A worker in Tennessee was injured on the job on Feb. 11. The accident happened at a Lawrenceburg chicken house that is owned by Aviagen, a poultry breeding business. According to reports, the man who was injured was a contract worker from Lyons and not an employee of Aviagen. He was considered a trainee at the company when he received his workplace injuries.

A human resources spokesperson for Aviagen said that the accident happened shortly before 8 a.m. while the worker was moving a cart. The cart weighed approximately 500 pounds and was filled with either chickens or eggs. For an unknown reason, the cart fell onto the worker while he was moving it.

Following the accident, the injured worker was flown to Huntsville Hospital for treatment of his injuries. He was listed in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery. The man’s identity was not released to the media after the accident. It is unclear what caused the accident or if there have been any similar accidents at the facility in the past.

A person who has been injured in this kind of on-the-job accident may be able to claim workers’ compensation benefits. A workers’ compensation claim can be filed regardless of whether it was the fault of the worker or the employer. If negligence on the part of a third party other than the employer contributed to the cause of the accident, however, the injured worker might be able to file a separate third-party claim. An attorney who has experience in these matters can help an injured client to determine who is liable for their injuries and then proceed to file the appropriate claims for compensation.

Source: WHNT, “Worker injured in accident at Aviagen plant in Lawrenceburg, TN”, Claire Aiello and Beth Jett, Feb. 11, 2015