Minnesota Regulators Fine Company for Line 3 Pipeline Death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The employer of a man who was run over by a large forklift while working on a northern Minnesota oil pipeline project has been cited by state regulators and fined $25,000.

Authorities say 45-year-old Jorge Villafuerte III was checking a list of materials at the Enbridge Energy Line 3 site near Hill City while standing behind an industrial forklift when it backed over him. The Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration in May cited Eau Claire, Wisconsin-based Precision Pipeline for a serious safety violation.

The Star Tribune reports that Precision Pipeline is contesting the citation. Line 3 starts in Alberta and clips a corner of North Dakota before crossing northern Minnesota en route to Enbridge’s terminal in Superior, Wisconsin.