BISBEE — A woman whose husband was killed in a tragic accident at the St. David transfer station in May is suing Cochise County for $1.25 million. Cindy Beeman, a St. David resident, spoke during Call to the Public at the Dec. 16 Board of Supervisors’ meeting. She stated her husband went to the transfer station to dump a load of limbs after tree trimming. Somehow, he fell into the pit below, fractured his skull and his first thoracic vertebra. She began to worry about him when he did not come home. Then she received a call from an EMT who told her there had been an accident and her husband was being taken to the hospital. He died that afternoon from the injuries he sustained, Cindy said. “He had been a part of my life for 43 years, so not only did I lose my life partner and friend, but my additional source of income, my handyman, my landscaper, my do-it-all guy,” she said somberly. She is trying to figure out how to pay the $36,000 helicopter ride and the more than $100,000 hospital bill racked up for his treatment prior to his death. “But, what really distresses me is the lack of remorse and responsibility on the part of the county,” Beeman said. “Are any of you even aware that this accident occurred?” She scolded Supervisor Richard Searle for not calling her and believed the incident that left her a widow had been covered up. “Most people in St. David have no idea that this accident occurred and that a man lost his life,” she said. “Why was it kept so hush-hush? I am appalled at the lack of empathy. You all needed to see my face and know that a real person was devastated by an accident that occurred on property you all are responsible for.” She went on to say that changes were made at the transfer station two weeks after the accident to prevent further accidents. “This wasn’t the first accident at the transfer station, but it was the first loss of life,” she said. “You should all be ashamed of your actions and the actions of your insurer.” The supervisors cannot speak to issues brought up during Call to the Public, but after the meeting, Searle said he did know of the accident. He also told the Herald/Review the yellow caution stripe along the edges of the pit had been repainted after the accident. In a follow-up interview Beeman stated that after the accident, the transfer station staff began unloading residents’ garbage instead of allowing people direct access to the dumping area, but she did not know if that was an ongoing practice. According to Beeman, an employee took pictures of the accident scene with his own personal cell phone. The county confiscated the phone. The county has denied her claim of wrongful death. That saddened and angered her. She believes the county “places no value on human life.” She hired a Human Accident Engineer and he inspected the facility and gave her an 18-page report on the conditions found at the St. David transfer station. “He placed all the blame on the county,” Cindy said. At that point, she sought to sue the county. When asked about the incident and the lawsuit, Deputy County Civil Attorney Britt Hanson responded, “The county is saddened by Mr. Beeman’s death following a tragic accident and by Mrs. Beeman’s loss. Because a lawyer has filed a $1.25 million claim against the county on Mrs. Beeman’s behalf, the county referred the claim to its insurer and unfortunately cannot comment further on the accident.”
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 02:43:17 +0000
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