Families of Two Who Died at Michigan Farm Sue

The families of two young people who died after falling into a tank at a dairy farm in Michigan’s Barry County have filed wrongful death lawsuits against the farm.

The lawsuits were filed last week in Barry County Circuit Court and the U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids. They say 17-year-old Francisco Martinez and 18-year-old Victor Perez were overcome in July 2010 by fumes emitted by decaying molasses in the tank at Yankee Springs Dairy Farm. They claim Martinez and Perez had complained to their supervisor about conditions inside the tank at the farm, about 20 miles southeast of Grand Rapids.