GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A lawsuit has been filed by the fiancée of a man who lost his life last May when his bulldozer toppled into a coal pile, targeting the utility company managing the worksite.
In legal documents submitted on Monday, Jessica Bishop claims that Santee Cooper is responsible for the hazardous conditions that led to the fatal incident involving 24-year-old Cody Jordan at the Winyah Generating Station on May 24.
The wrongful death lawsuit, filed in the George County Common Pleas Court, sheds light on the events of that tragic day, highlighting issues such as a malfunctioning on-board GPS system.
Jordan was operating the machinery around 6 p.m., pushing coal on top of a large pile when “suddenly and without warning” he and the bulldozer fell into a “hidden void” and were engulfed.
No other workers or supervisors were near the pile at the time, and there weren’t any witnesses.
Bishop’s lawsuit said a built-in GPS system on Jordan’s vehicle wasn’t working at the time of the accident, and it wasn’t until 6:30 p.m. that Santee Cooper management was notified that he was missing.
A multi-agency search operation was launched and after several hours, rescue workers reached the bulldozer, the lawsuit says.
“The windshields on the cab were shattered and the cab was inundated with coal,” the complaint says.
After several more hours of vacuuming out the vehicle, crews realized Jordan’s body wasn’t inside. Instead, he was found “buried 50 feet under the coal pile, nearly 24 hours after he had been reported missing,” Bishop’s lawsuit says.
Officials said he died from traumatic chest injuries after the bulldozer fell on top of him.
Jordan is seeking unspecified financial damages on grounds of negligence.
