Dartmouth is being sued by the estate of a man who died in a construction accident at the Hanover Inn last year, the Valley News reported Thursday.
Last March, Dana Lowe, a 53-year-old resident of Morrisville, Vt., was assisting in the erection of steel beams from a scissor lift when a crane ball inadvertently knocked over the aerial lift on which he was standing. He died 12 to 15 hours after the fall.
The lawsuit asserts that the crane operator was placed in a position where his view was obstructed. Dartmouth was aware of the dangers of this placement but did not put the crane in a safer location, the lawsuit alleges.
The suit contends that the construction site was "cramped, hectic and on a tight schedule with multiple trades working in the same area."
The Hanover Inn renovation's general contractor, Engelberth Construction, and two subcontractors, Able Crane Service and CSE, Inc. were also listed as defendants.
Able Crane Service denied responsibility, asserting that the accident was caused by the negligence of Dartmouth, Engelberth Construction, CSE and the crane operator, court documents said. Dartmouth, Engelberth and CSE responded by placing the liability back on Able Crane Service.
Gary Rushford, the estate's administrator, filed the lawsuit last September. The trial has been set for next March.
