Heldt v. Nicholson Manufacturing Co.

The plaintiff, Walter R. Heldt, an employee of the Weyerhaeuser Company, was injured at work while cleaning out a debarking machine that had been manufactured by the defendant, Nicholson Manufacturing Company. Heldt’s complaint was dismissed following the jury’s determination that his negligence exceeded that of any of the defendants. We affirm.

The Nicholson debarker is a machine designed to remove the bark from logs. Logs are brought into the debarker by a conveyor belt; and as they approach the debarking mechanism, a hydraulically operated roller is activated by an electric eye. This roller…