Duty of Care

Just after midnight on Thursday, October 22, 2026, Arlie Russell, 54, a security guard at the Koch Foods plant in Morristown, Tennessee, was killed when a semi truck backing in pinned him between two semi trailers, WBIR reported.

According to the crash report described by WBIR, a driver began backing her semi toward the loading bay nearest the plant’s main entrance because she thought a parked semi was leaving the lot; she said she believed she had a spotter who did not warn her, and she could not see that the parked truck was not moving in her blind spot. Russell was standing behind the parked truck, checking paperwork and preparing to place seals, and was caught between the two trailers. The report lists improper backing, and Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA) is investigating.

For truck yards and docks, the defenses to check are where people on foot meet drivers, whether that spot is out of every backing path and well lit at night, whether trucks must stop before seal and paperwork checks, and whether drivers have a spotter or a stop rule when they can’t see. These are site design and planning controls, not just individual care.

• WBIR