A 29-year-old Greencastle man was killed at a steel coil processing facility in Crawfordsville after a stack of metal strapping bands fell on him, according to the Journal Review of Crawfordsville[1]. The newspaper identified him as Jarrod L. Goebel, 29, of Greencastle, an employee of the company.
The Journal Review reported that the Crawfordsville Fire Department and Montgomery County Sheriff's Office were dispatched at 7:31 p.m. on a Tuesday to Performance Master Coil at 3752 East County Road 350 South. Goebel was deceased when emergency personnel arrived. The outlet reported the day of the week, but the calendar date of the incident could not be confirmed from the source.
Montgomery County Sheriff Ryan Needham told the Journal Review that it appeared Goebel had been crushed by a stack of metal strapping bands that fell on him. The sheriff said there was no criminal investigation and that the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration had taken over the matter. No official has stated why the stack collapsed, and no citations had been issued as of the reporting. The company declined to comment.
This account rests entirely on the Journal Review's reporting. No second outlet had carried the story, and the IOSHA investigation was ongoing.
What should families do next?
When someone is killed or badly hurt at work, important records and physical evidence can change quickly. The employer's incident report, the equipment involved, video, and the arrangement of the work area may all matter. If your family is in this position, ask in writing that the employer preserve the scene, equipment, records, and any video. Guidance about preserving evidence after an injury can help you understand why prompt action matters, even though every workplace case is different.
An IOSHA investigation can produce an inspection file that may include notes, photographs, and any citations. Obtaining that file can take time while the investigation runs its course. You can also ask the employer for the name of its workers' compensation carrier and begin the claim process. Workers' compensation benefits follow their own procedures and deadlines, and they generally do not depend on proving fault. The firm's guide to workers' compensation and third-party claims explains how these separate systems can interact.
Workers' compensation is usually the exclusive remedy against an Indiana employer. A separate claim may still be possible if another party contributed, such as a contractor, staffing agency, property owner, equipment manufacturer, or company that supplied or stacked the material. Identifying possible third parties early can protect the opportunity to investigate their role. This is a fact-specific question, not a conclusion about what happened here.
Why location matters in an Indiana injury claim
An incident in Crawfordsville will ordinarily be venued in the Montgomery County courts. The responding agencies were the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and Crawfordsville Fire Department. The workplace safety investigation belongs to IOSHA, a state agency with its own records process.
Indiana's wrongful death statutes govern who may bring a claim and what may be recovered. IC 34-23-1-1[2] is the general wrongful death statute, and IC 34-23-1-2[3] addresses the death of an adult without dependents. Which statute applies depends on the decedent's family circumstances. A wrongful death claim in Indiana generally must be brought within two years of the death, and the general personal injury limitations period is two years under IC 34-11-2-4[4]. Families can review a plain-language explanation of survival actions and wrongful death claims.
The Indiana Tort Claims Act sets shorter notice deadlines if a claim involves a government entity: 180 days for a political subdivision under IC 34-13-3-8[5] and 270 days for the State under IC 34-13-3-6[6]. No source has suggested that such a claim exists here. A state agency's investigation alone does not establish government responsibility.
Indiana also applies modified comparative fault under IC 34-51-2-6[7]. An injured person whose fault is greater than 50 percent recovers nothing; otherwise, recovery is reduced by that person's percentage of fault. These rules should not be treated as a finding about this incident while the investigation remains open.
How Delventhal Law Office can help
Delventhal Law Office, LLC is a Fort Wayne personal injury law firm founded by attorney Chad E. Delventhal in 2009. The firm helps families understand how workers' compensation, an IOSHA investigation, and a possible claim against a third party may fit together. That work can include identifying records that should be preserved and outlining the deadlines that may apply.
You can learn more about the firm's workers' compensation practice or request a free case evaluation. Insurance carriers and other responsible parties may aggressively defend contested claims, so a calm review of the evidence and deadlines can help you make informed decisions.
This post is based on public reporting, the investigation may be ongoing, and nothing here is legal advice or creates an attorney-client relationship.
