The tragic death of 53-year-old Antonio Gaston at Jeep’s Toledo plant in Ohio has deeply shaken the local community and reignited the debate over safety on assembly lines. A father of four and a Stellantis employee for twelve years, Gaston tragically died while working on the production line of a Jeep Gladiator.
Tragedy at Jeep’s Toledo plant: family of Antonio Gaston sues Stellantis
According to court filings, the worker was securing the vehicle’s frame when he became trapped under the moving body due to the removal of safety guards along the conveyor belt. Dragged several meters, he sustained severe chest injuries that proved fatal.
On August 11, the family, represented by a legal team, filed a lawsuit in Lucas County Common Pleas Court against Stellantis, an outside supplier, and several co-workers whose names remain undisclosed. The complaint alleges “gross negligence” and conduct that endangered workers’ lives by deliberately removing safety devices. The family is seeking at least $25,000 in damages, plus punitive damages intended to deter similar practices in the future.
His widow, Renita Shores-Gaston, told the press about the shock and grief of such a sudden loss. “Going to work should never mean risking your life. Losing your life building a car is unacceptable,” she said, calling the $16,131 fine issued by OSHA at the end of 2024 for a prior safety violation at the Toledo plant “a slap in the face.” In that earlier case, federal inspectors found another conveyor belt lacking the required guards, exposing workers to serious entrapment hazards.
Gaston began his career at the Belvidere, Illinois, plant (now closed) before transferring to Toledo in 2021 when production at Belvidere was halted. Colleagues and friends remember him as a skilled and dedicated worker, well-respected within UAW Local 12.
In an official statement, Stellantis expressed condolences over the loss and reiterated its commitment to ensuring workplace safety, though it declined to comment on the ongoing lawsuit. The incident is part of a broader pattern of workplace accidents affecting the company in recent months: in April, Ronald Adams, another Stellantis employee, tragically died at the Dundee, Michigan, engine plant, with investigations still underway.
