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:
08/31/2024
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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