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The family of Antonio Gaston, a father of four who died on the assembly line in a Toledo Jeep factory, is suing Stellantis (parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram) for his death.
"There's so much heartbreak, losing my husband at work," Gaston's widow, Renita Shores-Gaston, told the Detroit Free Press. "I never expected him to go to work and not come home."
In a lawsuit filed in the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, Shores-Gaston said her husband's death is the fault of Stellantis, a supplier and several of Gaston's coworkers - who are unnamed in the suit - after they deliberately removed safety equipment in the plant. Shores-Gaston is seeking at least $25,000 in compensation, as well as punitive damages from Stellantis.
Safety equipment allegedly removed
According to the suit, Gaston died while tightening bolts on the chassis of a Jeep Gladiator as it rolled down the production line. Because pinch-point guards (safety devices that prevent a worker from getting their body trapped in machinery) along the conveyor belt were removed, Gaston got trapped beneath the chassis and dragged along as the conveyor belt moved forward, the suit says.
He died from "crushing injuries to the torso," according to the coroner of Lucas County.
Gaston had worked for Stellantis for 12 years and was a member of UAW Local 12 at the time of his death. Previously, he worked at the now-shut Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois. In 2021, when production at the plant paused, he was relocated to Toledo.
Renita Shores-Gaston said working on an assembly line shouldn't be a life-threatening job.
"To lose your life for making a car, that just shouldn't be," Shores-Gaston said.
OSHA fine “a slap in the face”
In December 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined Stellantis following an investigation into Gaston's death. The federal agency said a conveyor belt at the Stellantis facility lacked adequate safety protections at pinch points where employees could be caught in moving parts.
OSHA recommended a $16,131 fine for the "serious violation." Stellantis has the right to appeal fine recommendations made by the agency. According to OSHA's online database, the case remains open.
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To Shores-Gaston, there is no dollar amount that can make right her husband's death. But she sees $16,131 as a slap in the face.
"How does that help anybody? How does that make a company want to do better when they're getting fined those small amounts?" she said. "That's like pennies on the ground, I feel like, for that type of company."
Stellantis said ina. statement: "We extend our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Antonio Gaston. There is nothing we take more seriously than the safety of our employees. We don't comment on ongoing litigation."
Gaston's death is not the only recent workplace death at a Stellantis facility to come under scrutiny. In April, Ronald Adams died at the company's Dundee Engine Plant. An investigation into Adams' death is ongoing.
