Nationwide Mutual need not face civil tort claims arising from an explosion that killed five workers and injured more than a dozen others at a corn milling and biofuels plant because the accident is covered by workers’ compensation, a Wisconsin appeals court ruled.
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District IV, in Madison, ruled Thursday in Hayden Dodge v. Didion Milling Inc. and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. that the claims are barred by the exclusive-remedy provision of the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act.
The court affirmed a Columbia County circuit court’s summary judgment order dismissing the case, which had been brought by 11 plaintiffs against Didion Milling and Nationwide. Didion Milling operates the facility in Cambria, Wisconsin, and is based in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin…