By Paul Kurtz

UPPER MERION, Pa. (CBS) — The widow of a Claymont, Del. man filed suit today against numerous companies, including the former publishers of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, for an accident that left her husband crushed to death last May (see related story).

A rail car loaded with 1,500-pound rolls of newsprint is at the heart of the lawsuit filed by Sarah Troester.

Rick Jurewicz, the plaintiff’s attorney, says 43-year-old Jeff Troester, an assistant train engineer, never had a chance when he pulled open the door of a railroad car.

“The reason why Jeff lost his life needlessly was because the roll was not properly braced,” Jurewicz said today.

The stacks of newsprint were cushioned north to south by air bags, according to Jurewicz, but someone neglected to place a load bar, jam bar, or any type of lateral bracing that would prevent the rolls from tumbling out once the door was opened.

The railcar was delivering bulk paper rolls to an Upper Merion, Pa. facility owned by Philadelphia Newspapers LLC and Philadelphia Media Network LLC.

The suit seeks unspecified damages.

In addition to Philadelphia Newspapers and Philadelphia Media, numerous other companies are named, including Great Northern Paper and the Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway.