From Staff Reports

The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department reported to officials at International Paper this week the cause of death of a Plantersville man, who reportedly collapsed on the job last month, was electrocution.

Sheriff Harris Huffman said Wednesday that Sheriff’s Investigator Jebb Harrison relayed some findings from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences’ autopsy report to IP Riverdale Mill authorities. No other details of the autopsy were provided.

John Garrett Blue, 26, was reportedly found unresponsive the morning of Aug. 30 while working on scaffolding in the No. 2 Bleach Plant, authorities reported. Blue was employed by Petty Line Construction Co., one of the Riverdale Mill’s construction contracting services.

“We are saddened by this incident, and our hearts go out to the deceased contractor’s family, friends and those he worked with here at the mill,” said Mill Manager Ray Thomas in a statement released following the incident.

In an unrelated incident, a confidential settlement has been reached in an injured worker’s lawsuit against International Paper. Eddy Bonifacius, a carpenter employed by Burke’s Mechanical, suffered serious injuries when he fell through a roof at IP on Dec. 23, 2003.

Bonifacius, who was represented by Selma attorney Valerie Chittom and Mobile attorney Richard Taylor, received an undisclosed monetary settlement in his negligence lawsuit against IP, according to a news release from his attorneys.