When a co-worker severed part of his thumb in July 2014, a food processor at a beef jerky manufacturing plant acted quickly, helping him apply pressure to the wound and using her cellphone to call 911. Before responders could answer, the company's owner ordered her to hang up. Two days later, she was terminated.
Instead of calling an ambulance, John M. Bachman - owner of Lone Star Western Beef, Inc., - collected the severed portion of the wounded worker's thumb and told a company supervisor to drive the injured employee to an urgent care clinic. The injured worker was transferred ultimately to a hospital, where doctors were unable to reattach the severed body part. In addition to her efforts to call for emergency assistance, the coworker noticed that Bachman did not clean or sanitize the area of the plant where the injury occurred fully. Later that afternoon, she discussed her concerns about the incident, cleanup, lack of appropriate personal protective equipment, and her attempt to call 911 with a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector.