A man injured in a 2023 explosion at Archer Daniels Midland’s facility in Decatur, Illinois, has sued the company, alleging the agriculture giant’s actions leading up to the explosion “displayed actual intent to harm its employees,” according to the complaint filed in county court Oct. 15.

ADM had a system in place to prevent explosions in the plant, but the system had not received maintenance  since late 2016, federal safety inspectors found. Also, according to the lawsuit, the amount of corn germ dust — a combustible material — in the area of the plant that exploded had reached unsafe levels.

When Antonio McElrath arrived at ADM’s facility on April 20, 2023, the previous shift did not tell him about the dust buildup, according to the lawsuit. The buildup was in what’s called a bucket elevator, a machine that transports material vertically.

Later in his shift, McElrath’s supervisor noticed smoke coming from the elevator. According to the lawsuit, this meant an explosion was “imminent.” McElrath’s supervisor told him to go to a specific location in the plant while the elevator was opened, according to the complaint. When the burning material was exposed to oxygen, the explosion occurred.

McElrath suffered third-degree burns to his face, head and body, and he is now disfigured, according to the lawsuit. After the explosion, doctors put him in a medically induced coma for three weeks to help his recovery. 

He is still receiving medical care, and he is not able to work, his lawyer, Nicholas Williams, said. “He has lifelong injuries,” Williams said. 

McElrath, who is in his 40s, is seeking more than $50,000 in damages. The lawsuit was filed in circuit court in Macon County, Illinois, where Decatur is located.

The complaint alleges that ADM was “fully aware of the unsafe conditions” in the elevator. “At the express direction of ADM via its employee/agent,” the complaint reads, “McElrath was standing in the direct path of the explosion.” 

ADM declined to answer Investigate Midwest’s questions, saying it does not comment on pending litigation.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined ADM more than $300,000 for the explosion and lack of maintenance. The 2023 explosion is just one of a series of incidents that have harmed employees and first responders at ADM’s Decatur facility in the past several years.

In November 2018, the facility experienced a dust explosion. After that, OSHA obtained a formal settlement with ADM, in which it promised to conduct routine maintenance on safety equipment. Then, in January 2019, another explosion happened. OSHA sent ADM a letter outlining issues with the company’s safety maintenance.

Later in 2019, the ADM facility had two dust fires, according to the complaint. In April 2023, days before the explosion in the bucket elevator, a locomotive crushed an employee to death. In August 2023, a large fire broke out, and two firefighters were hospitalized. Later, in September 2023, another explosion injured eight employees.

Emergency medical services also visited the ADM facility more than 50 times in 2023, according to records obtained by CU-Citizen Access. The incidents included employees breaking their legs, passing out or having a stroke.

This past summer, a grain elevator started to smoke, and the plant was evacuated, according to the complaint. OSHA has opened an investigation into the incident.

Between 2015 and 2023, across the country, there have been 74 grain dust explosions in the agriculture industry, according to research by Purdue University. ADM accounts for nearly 10%, and it’s one of the few companies to have multiple explosions during that time period. 

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