A Michigan judge ordered a meat business owner to pay $1,143 Tuesday because a grinder caused a teenage employee to lose his hand in 2019, according to CBS Detroit.
Ionia County Judge Ray Voet reportedly described the accident that happened to the 17-year-old victim as a “horrible tragedy.” The accident did not lead to the business owner going to jail or receiving probation, per CBS Detroit. (RELATED: Authorities Discover Two 10-Year-Olds Allegedly Working In McDonald’s Kitchen For No Pay)
Voet reportedly mentioned how the case wouldn’t have been necessary if the incident occurred two months after it initially did, since the victim would’ve been 18 by then.
“Two months later, we wouldn’t even be here,” Voet said, according to CBS Detroit. “Ionia County is a farming county, and I know a lot of people in this county view children working, sometimes around dangerous machinery, as part of growing up.”
The owner of a meat business in western Michigan was ordered to pay $1,143 Tuesday after a 17-year-old worker lost his hand in a grinder.
That’s all. $1,143. https://t.co/rB0kJdDd8c
— Rio Slade (@RioSlade) August 9, 2023
The owner of US Guys Processing in Saranac, where the victim was injured, is Darin Wilbur, CBS Detroit noted.
Authorities investigated Wilbur for “employing a minor in hazardous work and not getting work permits,” and Wilbur pleaded guilty, the outlet reported.
The victim was reportedly a high school dropout, and Wilbur hired the teen in an attempt to help him, according to defense attorney Howard Van Den Heuvel. The young employee was repeatedly cautioned not to place his hand inside of the grinder, per CBS Detroit.