The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) Carrier Enforcement Division announced today that they have issued hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of penalties to a Lincoln-based trucking company involved in a fatal accident that killed one of their own employees.
NSP issued Von Busch and Sons Inc. a fine totaling $331,920.00, according to a news release issued by the agency today. The fine was issued after the NSP uncovered more than 450 violations in the wake of the death of 47 year old company employee James W. Baker, who was killed when a truck driven by a coworker slid on ice and pinned him against a tree.
Investigators with @NSP_CarrierEnf have issued more than $330,000 in fines against a Lincoln trucking company after finding 453 violations and a concerning safety record.
Details: https://t.co/tYgupifx06 pic.twitter.com/SY1mRAFzMT
— NEStatePatrol (@NEStatePatrol) July 12, 2018
From NSP:
“The investigation into the company came after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) produced a list in which Von Busch and Sons Inc. was listed as a carrier with severe problems involving maintenance and operation of commercial vehicles. Additionally, on February 15, 2018, the company was involved in a one-vehicle fatality accident, which killed a worker, and furthered concerns of the company’s safety practices.
The investigation showed that Von Busch and Sons Inc. had been fined before and minimal corrective action was taken. Prior to the most recent action, Von Busch and Sons Inc. had been the subject of seven (7) separate compliance reviews from 2002 to 2016 that yielded a number of safety violations, mainly stemming from the lack of maintenance being conducted on the vehicles.
After the most recent compliance review, NSP investigators requested that Von Busch and Sons Inc. submit documentation that they were making changes to improve the safety of operations in their company. Von Busch and Sons Inc. did submit an action plan; however, within a month of receiving the plan investigators followed up with the company and found that insufficient actions had been taken to correct the violations found in the compliance review.
NSP Carrier Enforcement Investigators discovered 453 violations involving controlled substance and alcohol testing, vehicle maintenance, and driver qualification requirements.”
The NSP has vowed to keep tabs on Von Busch and Sons Inc. to make sure that they continue to comply with regulations after the fine is paid.