Worker’s family files $18 million lawsuit over coal-ash death

In a Dec. 22, 2008, photograph, a home is engulfed near the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County after the failure of a dike that unleashed more than 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash sludge. The federal government is putting in place standards to regulate ash from coal-fired power plants as a nonhazardous material, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday. In a Dec. 22, 2008, photograph, a home is engulfed near the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County after the failure of a dike that unleashed more than 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash sludge. The federal government is putting in place standards to regulate ash from coal-fired power plants as a nonhazardous material, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday.

By The Knoxville News Sentinel August 21, 2015 1 min read

KINGSTON — The safety contractor for the cleanup of the coal-ash spill at TVA’s Kingston Fossil Plant knew the fly ash was toxic but didn’t take steps to protect workers from serious health hazards, a lawsuit alleges.

As one result, a Ten Mile man who worked long hours at the cleanup site developed lung cancer and died after he was “illegally induced to inhale vast amount of toxic fly ash,” according to the complaint.

The wrongful death lawsuit, which seeks $18 million in compensatory damages, was filed on behalf of Angie Shelton of Ten Mile, the widow of Mike Shelton, and Ricky Dean Shelton of Florida, who is Mike Shelton’s brother.

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