Case Review in Montana Auto Shop Worker Death

Missoula County Attorney Fred Van Valkenburg is reviewing the death of a man killed in an auto shop fire last year to determine if criminal charges are warranted.

Forty-four-year-old Bruce Hall died after he was severely burned in the August fire in Missoula.

A fire marshal’s report classified the fire’s cause as accidental and determined no foul play was involved. But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration later charged the shop with nine safety violations and fined the shop’s owners $36,000.

Hall’s sister, Laura Hall, requested Van Valkenburg review the case.

She tells the Missoulian that the owners were negligent because of their shop’s deficient safety measures.

Shop owner Rick Booth says that he’s resolved any safety issues and that the shop has always had a culture of safety.