Monolith will expand its Olive Creek facility and begin developing additional sites to serve global demand for low-emission hydrogen and carbon black. Learn more at monolith-corp.com.
A Schuyler man has sued Monolith, a Lincoln-based clean energy company, and its safety contractor, saying he was trapped in a reactor and "cooked alive" while performing maintenance at the company's Hallam facility in December.
In the lawsuit filed Friday, Alvaro Torres Salvador's attorney, Mark Richardson, said: "This lawsuit addresses the human cost of developing emergent 'green' technologies by Monolith. As a burgeoning clean energy giant, Monolith made the decision to place profit over people and expediency over safety."
Attorneys for Monolith Materials Inc., Monolith Nebraska LLC and Sitex Safety & Rescue LLC haven't yet responded to the suit in court.
In an email Monday, a company spokesperson said: "We do not comment on pending litigation, but the health and safety of the workers and communities in which we operate are our top priority."
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On its website, Monolith describes itself as a leader in "advanced, more sustainable, U.S. manufacturing" that has innovated and scaled methane pyrolysis, a process that uses renewable electricity instead of combustion to produce low-emission carbon black, a powdery substance that's used in tires, inks, plastics and other products.
In the lawsuit, Richardson said Torres Salvador had been working as a contractor through Babkel Mechanical of Blair at Monolith's plant near Hallam early Dec. 11 when the incident that is the subject of the lawsuit happened.
He was part of a team removing large chunks of carbon at the bottom of a reactor interior as it cooled, prior to being reactivated.
"For 20 to 25 minutes, Mr. Torres Salvador dangled on a cable approximately 100 feet inside Monolith’s main reactor. Mr. Torres Salvador was suspended in mid-air, like a human being on a spit roast, in pitch black darkness, sweltering in a 200-degree Fahrenheit heat, trapped in a confined space, fading in and out of consciousness, and reckoning with what he believed to be his final moments before dying," the Lincoln attorney wrote.
At the same time, Monolith employees yelled to him that there was nothing they could do, "causing him to sob and plead for his life," Richardson said.
The lawsuit alleges a series of negligent decisions by Monolith that day left Torres Salvador severely injured and substantially transformed his life. Among them:
* Ordering Torres Salvador to enter a 200-degree reactor in order to return it to operational status as soon as possible, "thereby increasing production and profitability."
* Failing to ensure the employee who operated the pneumatic air hose for the chair that lowered his client into the reactor had proper training and experience. Richardson said the employee fed too much slack into the reactor, causing the hose to become tangled with the wires supporting the chair, trapping Torres Salvador near the base of the reactor.
* Sending Torres Salvador into the reactor without Sitex, the safety and rescue team contracted to be present whenever a worker enters the reactor, being there.
* And failing to ensure rescue equipment was operational and effective. A crane attached to his safety harness left him suspended in mid-air.
On its website, Monolith lists "Safety Matters Most" as its top core value.
In the lawsuit, Richardson alleged Monolith routinely places contractors like his client in dangerous conditions.
He said that on Dec. 11 the company decided profits mattered most and "cut safety corners at the expense of the health and well-being of Mr. Torres Salvador."
The 34-year-old suffered second- and third-degree burns and damage to a kidney, has permanent scarring and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder triggered by things like darkness and heat.
His medical expenses in the past six months have topped $200,000.
Last year, Monolith announced it had received more than $300 million from a host of big-name investors, likely the largest single investment in Nebraska history.
The company said the investment would go toward "further technological development that will offer next-generation product capabilities and other corporate-level expansion."
19 years ago today: The Hallam tornado
Hallam tornado
Volunteers Mike McMurty of the Red Cross, Jim Casey of Lincoln, Tom Silletto and Tom Stratman of the West Point Fire Department survey the damage to Hallam.
Hallam tornado
The church bell sit among the remains of the United Methodist Church while cleanup crews continue working in Hallam on May 26, 2004.
Hallam
Residents of Hallam faced a monumental rebuilding after a tornado hit the community on May 22, 2004.
Hallam tornado
A U.S. flag flies over the rubble of Curtis McCain's house in Hallam in May 2004.
Hallam tornado
Alana Sharp, 6, holds her head while being treated by paramedics after being pulled from the rubble of a Hallam mobile home last Saturday. Footage of the girl's rescue was shown on CNN and ABC's Good Morning America. "The tornado bounced on my back," she would later say." But my back is stronger than the tornado."
Hallam tornado
Railroad cars were derailed by a tornado in Hallam on May 23.
Hallam tornado
A tornado leveled much of Hallam on May 22, 2004.
Hallam tornado
Residents walk into the town of Hallam to gather belongings Sunday, May 23, 2004, after a large tornado Saturday night left much of the community in rubble.
Hallam tornado
Tornado damage near Hallam on Sunday, May 23, 2004.
Hallam tornado
Heather Jacobsen helps with cleanup in Hallam on May 25, 2004, after a tornado hit the town on May 22.
Hallam tornado
Hallam's warning siren rests in the rubble after the tornado tore the town up on May 22, 2004.
Hallam tornado
A home leveled by a tornado near Hallam.
Hallam tornado
Hallam after being hit by a tornado in 2004.
Hallam tornado
Jim Depue salvages water boots, a pail, an extension cord and other items from his home on East Street in Hallam. He said "we just got done remodeling the whole thing." Depue would like to rebuild, saying "Hallam's a real nice place."
Hallam tornado
The Rev. Lorri Kentner celebrates after a backhoe operated by Darrell TeSelle unearths the bell from the remains of the United Methodist Church in Hallam.
Hallam tornado
Tornado damage near Hallam, as seen Sunday, May 23, 2004.
Hallam tornado
Jim Depue's uncle, Bob Depue of Kansas City, came to help with tornado cleanup. Jim Depue would like to rebuild the house on East Street, saying "Hallam's a real nice place."
Hallam tornado
A tornado left a trail of destruction in Hallam in 2004.
Hallam tornado
Crews from the Lincoln Public Works Department help clean up in Hallam, May 28, 2004, after a tornado hit the town on May 22.
Hallam tornado
A tornado hit Hallam May 22, 2004, leaving little behind in the small town.
Hallam tornado
Heather Jacobsen (left) and Tom Hamilton help during the cleanup of Hallam. About 600 volunteers worked in the town Tuesday.
Hallam tornado
Thomas Sands removes the belongs from what was once a three story home for him and his wife Monica after a tornado blew out the roof and side south side of the house in Hallam.
Hallam tornado
A televison set sits on a desk of what remains of the grain elevator office in Hallam.
Hallam tornado
Tornado cleanup still continues in Hallam on May 26, 2004.
Hallam tornado
Clean up continues in Hallam on May 26, 2004.
Hallam tornado
Melissa Beck of Lincoln (face shown) hugs childhood friend Dawn Stimple of Hallam early last Sunday as Beck searches for her grandparents at Lincoln's Southwest High School. Beck was later reunited with her grandparents at the school, where many survivors gathered after the storm.
Hallam tornado
Tornado damage near Hallam. The storm swept through the area May 22, 2004.
Hallam tornado
Laura Dragoo reflects on surviving the Hallam tornado early Sunday morning after being bused to Lincoln's Southwest High School, where many storm survivors gathered last Sunday.
Hallam tornado
Cruzer survived the Hallam tornado and went to Lincoln Southwest High School with her owner, Richard Pullman, who lost his house to the storm.
Hallam tornado
A Hallam man is comforted after getting off a bus at Lincoln Southwest High School early Sunday morning. Dozens of survivors were sent to the school, where the American Red Cross and the Lincoln Fire Department tended to their needs.
Hallam tornado
John Umland sorts through debris Sunday, May 23, 2004, at his father-in-law's home near Hallam. Umland was looking for the keys to a truck in the rubble.
Hallam tornado
Rich Raley steps through the remains of his house near Hallam on May 28 after a tornado tore through the town. The storm's aftermath has sparked a call for legislation to ease the property tax burden on people who lose property in a disaster.
Hallam tornado
Ken and Jacque Fraley look over their tornado-damaged home southwest of Hallam on May 23, 2004. Ken, who escaped injury, was in the basement when the tornado hit on May 22, 2004, knocking down walls around him.
Hallam tornado
Storm damage near Hallam on May 23, 2004.
Hallam tornado
Storm damage near Hallam after a tornado struck the area May 22, 2004.
Hallam tornado
Storm damage near Hallam as seen Sunday, May 23, 2004.
Tornado damage
Storm damage near Hallam as seen Sunday, May 23, 2004.
Hallam tornado
A grain silo was destroyed and a grain truck overturned near Hallam.
Hallam tornado
Tornado damage in Hallam.
Hallam tornado
Tornado damage in Hallam.
Hallam tornado
A tornado leveled homes and businesses in Hallam on May 22, 2004.
One of the widest
Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LJSpilger
Lori Pilger
Public safety reporter
Lori Pilger is a Norfolk native and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate who has been a public safety reporter for the Journal Star since 2005.
