Family Sues Stellantis after Death of Worker at Jeep Plant

17 Aug, 2025 Liz Carey

                               
Safety at Work

The family of an employee killed at a Toledo, Ohio, Jeep plant has filed a lawsuit alleging that safety features protecting employees were removed.

According to court records, the family of Antonio Gaston, 53, had filed suit against Stellantis – the parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram – for his death. The lawsuit alleges that safety features on the assembly line were removed, and that Gaston’s death was preventable.

"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."

Gaston died in August 2024. According to the lawsuit, Gaston was working at the Toledo plant on the Jeep Gladiator line. He had previously worked at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Ill. In 2021, when production at the Belvidere plant stopped, he was relocated to Toledo. He had worked for the company for 12 years at the time of his death.

According to the lawsuit, Gaston was tightening bolts on the chassis of a Gladiator as it rolled down the production line. The lawsuit alleges that pinch-point guards – safety devices that prevent workers from becoming trapped in machinery – had been removed from the conveyor belt, Gaston got trapped beneath the chassis and dragged along the conveyor belts as it moved forward.

Gaston died from “crushing injuries to the torse,” the Lucas County coroner said.

In their lawsuit filed in the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, Gaston’s family said her husband’s death was Stellanis’ fault. The lawsuit also named several of Gaston’s coworkers who were unnamed. The suit alleges that safety equipment was deliberately removed. Gaston’s wife is seeking at least $25,000 in compensation, as well as punitive damages from Stellantis.

Shores-Gaston said working in an assembly plant should not be a life-threatening job.

"To lose your life for making a car, that just shouldn't be," Shores-Gaston said.

In an investigation into the death, OSHA found in December 2024 the Stellantis facility lacked adequate safety protections at pinch points. OSHA fined Stellantis for lacking adequate safety protections at pinch points where employees could be caught in moving parts.

OSHA proposed a $16,131 fine for the “serious violation” in December 2024. Stellantis has the right to appeal the recommended fine. According to OSHA’s online records, the case is still open.

Shores-Gaston said there is no dollar amount that could make up for her husband’s death. OSHA’s proposed fine is a slap in the face, she said.

"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 told the Detroit Free Press they couldn’t comment on the suit.

"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,” the company said in a statement.

Gaston’s death isn’t the only workplace death at a Stellantis facility to come under scrutiny in recent years. Stellantis employee Ronald Adams died at the company’s Dundee Engine Plant in Michigan in April. That death is ongoing, officials said.

Adams was working as a machine repairman at the engine plant when he was injured on April 7. Michigan OSHA said he was performing maintenance tasks on a conveyor line when a motorized arm pinned him to the conveyor. Adams also died of “crushing injuries.”

Adams’ family said he was unresponsive at the time the medical team arrived and never regained consciousness. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said Adams was taken to the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and later pronounced dead.

Officials said Adams was part of a small number of employees at the Dundee Engine Plant at the time of the accident. That plant is being retooled, officials said, as the company prepares for production to restart this year.

Union representatives said Stellantis should have done more to protect its workers.

Kevin Gotinsky, who oversees the UAW’s Stellantis department, said the tragedies were preventable.

“These tragedies should not take place in our facilities,” he said in a statement. “They’re preventable. Nobody should ever lose their life going to work and not have the opportunity to go back to their families … We need to hold these companies accountable to any health and safety grievances, matters, and concerns.”


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    About The Author

    • Liz Carey

      Liz Carey has worked as a writer, reporter and editor for nearly 25 years. First, as an investigative reporter for Gannett and later as the Vice President of a local Chamber of Commerce, Carey has covered everything from local government to the statehouse to the aerospace industry. Her work as a reporter, as well as her work in the community, have led her to become an advocate for the working poor, as well as the small business owner.

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