News Channel Nebraska
A Schuyler man has filed a lawsuit against a Nebraska company after he says he was suspended in mid-air in 200-degree temperatures “like a human being on a spit roast.”
Alvaro Torres Salvador filed the lawsuit against Monolith Materials last week in Lancaster County. In his lawsuit, Torres Salvador claimed he was injured while working at Monolith’s plant in Hallam in December of 2022.
Monolith is an energy company that splits natural gas into carbon and hydrogen gas, converting the resulting carbon into carbon black.
In court filings, lawyers for Torres Salvador alleged that he was “cooked alive” after being “trapped” inside a Monolith reactor, accusing the company of placing “profit over people and expediency over safety.”
Torres Salvador said that he was dangled on a cable approximately 100 feet inside Monolith’s main reactor with temperatures near 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
His lawyers claimed that Monolith employees yelled to him telling him that there was nothing they could do to save him, “causing him to sob and plead for his life,” according to court documents.
Torres Salvador was joined by Babkel Mechanical, LLC as a co-plaintiff. Babkel, a Blair business, has been Torres Salvador’s primary employer and has paid his workers’ compensation benefits.
Sitex Safety and Rescue is listed as a co-defendant, with Torres Salvador and his legal team accusing them of failing to provide adequate rescue at the time of the incident.
Alvaro Torres said he suffered third-degree burns to his buttocks, thighs and feet, as well as second-degree burns on his ears, face, chest, hands, buttocks, thighs and feet. He is seeking at least $200,000 for medical expenses, as well as $20,000 in lost wages. Legal documents said he is likely to incur further medical costs. His lawyers also state that his earning potential is likely to have decreased.
News Channel Nebraska reached out to Monolith Materials for comment, with a company spokesperson responding:
“We do not comment on pending litigation, but the health and safety of the workers and communities in which we operate are our top priority.”
