The parents of Boston Monett, who was 19 years old when he was killed on a construction site in Dallas, are suing the construction company that was in charge of the operation for more than one million dollars. The lawsuit was filed about six months after the death of their son.
When Monett was working on the site of the new Everette Lee DeGolyer Elementary School in Northwest Dallas on August 1, 2023, he was struck in the head by a Watson 1100 drilling rig. The school was located in the northwest part of the city. According to the documents filed in court, Monett’s parents assert that a “swing alarm” on the drilling rig, which is intended to alert others in the vicinity that the rig is rotating or twisting, did not function properly, so putting their son in danger.
When it came to the drilling of foundation piers, Boston’s task was to provide assistance. He was outfitted with eye protection, a hardhat, a safety vest, and boots with steel toes, according to the details of the lawsuit. Around the time that the Watson rig was drilling the first hole for the first pier, Boston was standing nearby. The operator of the rig suddenly and without any prior warning began to spin the rig, which resulted in Boston being struck in the head and knocked into the partially dug pit. As a result of the power of the blow from the Watson rig, Boston sustained injuries that were severe, horrifying, and eventually lethal.
Monet was employed by Maxon Drilling, which had its headquarters in Decatur and was a subcontractor on the DISD site for Northridge Construction Group, which was situated in North Richland Hills. Both of these companies were located in Decatur. A mere two weeks had passed since he had started working for the company before he passed away. At the time of publication, neither Northridge Construction nor Maxon Drilling had responded to requests for comment that were made to them.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the United States Department of Labor started an investigation into the incident shortly after Monett’s death and recently issued a citation to Maxon Drilling for their lack of compliance with the regulations. A number of infractions that the federal agency considered to be “serious” were detailed in the citation. These violations included deficiencies in safety training as well as an inadequately safe working environment. More than one million dollars is what Monett’s parents are requesting, which is a significant amount more than the fine that Maxon was given for the citations. According to the citation, the drilling business was fined a total of $28,576 for the six violations that were stated in the document.
