Grand Falls family plans Wal-Mart lawsuit

A grieving New Brunswick family has hired a prominent Moncton lawyer to prepare a lawsuit against Wal-Mart over their son's death.

Fabien and Dory Desjardins lost their only child Patrick in a workplace accident in early January.

The 17-year-old was using a buffer to clean the garage floor at the Grand Falls Wal-Mart when he was electrocuted.

The teen was discovered by another staff member and rushed to the Grand Falls General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Grand Falls Police say the cord on the machine was frayed.

Michael Murphy, a high-profile Moncton lawyer and a former Liberal justice minister, said what happened to the Desjardins' son was unacceptable and he is preparing to sue the Wal-Mart corporation.

"It's very clear that our allegation will be that this was simply a time bomb and this was an unnecessary death," Murphy said.

"It is a very sad and tragic circumstance because this is the only child of Dory and Fabien Desjardins."

Fabien Desjardins was critical of both Wal-Mart and WorkSafeNB after his son's death.

Murphy said he plans to file the lawsuit in the next few weeks.

Wal-Mart is not making public comments about the incident.

WorkSafeNB is continuing to investigate the young man's death. The agency has said it may take several months