Nebraska Grain Elevator Firm Where Work Died Fined

The operator of a western Nebraska grain elevator where a worker was buried in grain and later died in 2007 has been ordered to pay a $100,000 fine for violating federal safety standards.

Crossroads Cooperative Association pleaded guilty and was sentenced this week in U.S. District Court. The company also has been put on probation for two years, during which it must allow inspections to ensure safety standards are followed.

Authorities said Crossroads allowed an employee, 18-year-old Joseph Teague, to enter a grain bin with no one watching him and equipment operating. The bin was near Lorenzo, a hamlet along state Highway 19 just north of the state line with Colorado.

Teague was found buried in grain and later died. His death was blamed on suffocation.

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On the Net:

U.S. District Court, Nebraska: http://www.ned.uscourts.gov/