More detail on this person: Mr. Claeys worked
at a GM plant where they painted the cars and he
and one other person were cleaning out an area
where the paint/chemicals accumulated. There was
a fan that was supposed to turn on to clear out
the chemicals and make breathing possible,
however as the two of them went down there it did
not come on and they both died. This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site:
07/12/2023
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He died on Aug 2, 1980 while at work at Fisher
Body (a portion of GM). He and two others were
assigned to clean out the paint pit under one of
the booths used to clean car bodies. He and one
other entered the lower portion of the 14 foot
pit, into the 3 feet of 'sludge' while the third
held a light above. They immediately became light
headed from the fumes; this caused them both to
pass out and they then drowned in the sludge. The
pit was not properly ventilated at the time so the
combination of the solvents and lack of oxygen in
the air caused the accident.
He was living in Grand Ledge MI at the time of his
death with my mother (who was pregnant with me)
and my brother (1 year old).
Thank you again for your time and we truly
appreciate you updating the information for us.
From: Richard and Lauren Claeys