MARION COUNTY, Fla. – An Ocala man filed a lawsuit on Friday, claiming a stump grinder he rented had burned him in an explosion, according to court documents.
The lawsuit said that on Dec. 2, Toby Jones rented a TORO model STX-26 stump grinder from Main Street Mowers, located along North Magnolia Avenue.
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While Jones was trying to remove a stump on his property, the grinder exploded, causing a fireball that was “around 20 feet high and 10 feet in diameter,” the lawsuit read.
According to the lawsuit, Jones was caught up in the explosion, causing him to catch fire and suffer “severe and significant” burns to most of his body.
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The lawsuit added that Jones had previously rented the same machine twice before, though he’d had “mechanical problems” with the grinder each time.
However, after bringing these issues to the business’ attention, he was told the machine had been fixed, the lawsuit stated.
As a result, Jones is accusing Main Street Mowers of failing to properly maintain the grinder and being liable for Jones’ injuries.
“The TORO STX-26 stump grinder that Toby Jones rented that day was defective and/or negligently maintained in such a manner that it was not fit to be rented by any consumer, was unreasonably dangerous, and presented an increased risk of fire and explosion to the operators,” the lawsuit read.
Jones is seeking over $50,000 in damages due to the incident.
The full lawsuit has been attached to this story and can be read in the media viewer below.
Fire From a Wood Chipper by Anthony Talcott on Scribd
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