Lawsuit filed in Robeline man’s death

A survival and wrongful death lawsuit has been filed on Feb. 26, almost a year after the death of Robeline resident Stanley Freeman, who was killed while employed as a dragline oiler for Dolet Hills Lignite Company at their Mansfield mine.

As a dragline oiler, he was required to lubricate the slide/cam mechanism of the dragline using bags of grease. While performing his duties, Freeman fell and was crushed by the moving machine.

The lawsuit was filed by Lawrence Gettys, Managing Office Attorney of the Brent, Coon, and Associates law firm.

Gettys states in the lawsuit that Freeman should not have been physically on the dragline while it was in motion, but Dolet required the deceased to perform his work anyway. It was also said that the requirement was in clear violation of several government safety standards.

“This is a company that has repeatedly put workers in harm’s way, resulting in serious injury and death,” Gettys said in a statement. “We intend to send a message to Dolet that risking the lives of its employees will not be tolerated.”

Their press release also contends that this particular accident is just one in a long line of accidents that have occurred at Dolet, a company that has a reputation for negligence, poor safety conditions and suspending safety protocols. The lawsuit, filed in DeSoto Parish’s 11th Judicial District Court, seeks compensation on behalf of Freeman’s two children from Dolet and other defendants.

SWEPCO has not returned calls made to their company regarding the lawsuit.