Three deaths lead to Las Vegas lawsuits

Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2001 | 11:11 a.m.

Two wrongful death lawsuits were filed in recent weeks in Clark County District Court.

The families of two Las Vegas men who were killed in September at a Henderson construction site sued a developer and contractor.

The families of Manuel Rodriguez Saavedra and Manuel Ruiz sued the Developers of Nevada LLC, Gibson Ranch LLC and R.P. Weddell & Sons Co., alleging they died of methane gas inhalation in a manhole because the defendants allegedly failed to determine if conditions in a sewer line were hazardous.

Ruiz and Saavedra, who were trying to remove rubble and debris that had clogged a sewer line, died on Sep. 26 when a buildup of methane gas seeped out of a sewer line and overwhelmed them.

The suit said no ventilation system had been set up for the job, nor were the men provided with proper protective equipment before they were sent into the sewer.

The defendants could not be reached for comment on the allegations.

Separately, the family of Rayshon Tellis sued Towbin Automotive Enterprises Inc. doing business as Towbin Infiniti and Infiniti Division of Nissan North America Inc., alleging their negligence caused his death.

The suit said Tellis, who was a passenger in a 1999 Infiniti G20 automobile on Oct. 16, was ejected from the vehicle and sustained fatal injuries when it went out of control and rolled over several times. Tellis was ejected from the vehicle because its seatbelt failed to keep him secure, the suit said.

The defendants' attorney declined comment.